The New Power Party (NPP) caucus yesterday questioned a proposed preferential carbon fee, saying that it might provide loopholes for large enterprises.
The Executive Yuan in April passed the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) proposed amendments to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act (溫室氣體減量及管理法) and renamed it the draft “climate change adaptation act.”
As no consensus has been reached on the draft, it awaits further negotiations by legislative caucuses.
Photo: Lo Pei-te, Taipei Times
NPP Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) told a news conference yesterday that the responsibilities and division of labor of each government agency should be clearly stated in the act, as cross-agency actions are needed to combat climate change.
Agencies tend to carry out cross-agency projects passively and even evade responsibilities, she said, adding that sometimes no agency is willing to undertake important affairs.
Under the draft, the National Council for Sustainable Development would be in charge of coordinating, distributing and integrating climate actions, she said.
However, the council is operating as a temporary task force, so it has limited ability to coordinate among agencies, she said.
The Executive Yuan should propose concrete measures to carry out an organizational transformation of the council before the draft undergoes cross-caucus negotiations, the caucus said.
NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) likened the draft to “a tiger without teeth.”
Lawmakers across parties have agreed to include a carbon reduction goal into the amended act, but the EPA refused to do so, he said.
The proposed draft authorizes the government to enact many important regulations, which is “completely inconsistent with the spirit of legislation” and “shows no respect for the legislature,” he said.
Regulations regarding climate litigation, an important tool for the public to seek relief, are included in the draft amendments proposed by civil groups and Democratic Progressive Party legislators, but not the Executive Yuan, he added.
The rate of carbon fees should be determined by a dedicated review committee, at least two-thirds of which should comprise experts and representatives of civil groups, NPP Chairwoman Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said.
The management board of the Greenhouse Gas Management Fund should have the same composition, she added.
As for a potential corporate loophole, Article 29 in the Executive Yuan’s draft states that those who reach a specified greenhouse gas reduction goal may submit voluntary reduction plans to the central competent authority to apply for preferential rates for carbon fees, she said.
However, competent authorities might not be able to assess each company’s plan and provide preferential rates accordingly, Chen said, calling for the article’s removal from the draft.
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