Take a look at this Global Voices post:
"What would have happened had the petrochemical industry ceased to exist in Taiwan? The Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs has tried hard to convince Taiwanese citizens that if Taiwan does not build more petrochemical industrial plants, its economy will collapse and people will suffer. On the other hand, environmentalists, activists, and bloggers are looking forward to seeing the end of such a polluting industry destroying the island's lands, water, and air."
Click to continue reading the post.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Science Park Phase 3 development appeal rejected
Yesterday the Supreme Administrative Court rejected the government's appeal against the July 30th ruling to suspend work on the Central Taiwan Science Park's (CTSP) Phase 3 development project.
The environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project was ruled invalid by the Supreme Administrative Court on the 22 January this year. The Environmental Protection Administration, CTSP and developers ignored the ruling. Then, on July 30th the Taipei High Administrative Court again ruled against further development on the site, on the grounds that the National Science Council had not completed a comprehensive health risk assessment. The government's response to this was to question the ability of the judges and undermine the authority of the judiciary. Then, institute an appeal. But even before the court's had ruled on the appeal, EPA's Environmental Impact Assessment committee instead of sending the Phase-3 development project to a second round of review, chose to ignore the courts and gave conditional approval on Tuesday (2010-08-31) for the Phase 3 development of the CTSP at Cising and Houli to go ahead.
The ruling stopping work at the CTSP Phase 4 development (Kuokuang Petrochemical) in Erlin, Changhua County was revoked. The suspension of Phase 4 will now be up to the Taipei High Administrative Court.
See Science park's appeal rejected, Learning the lessons of Mailiao for Dacheng and Quantifying the non-quantifiable in today's Taipei Times.
Also see:
Academics against new Kuokuang plant
Government quick to defend Formosa Plastics in the wake of a second fire
Formosa Plastics on fire again
Taiwan High Administrative Court orders Central Taiwan Science Park to halt all expansion pending a ruling on two lawsuits
The saga of the CTSP Erlin Science Park and the Kuokuang Petrochemical Project
Wu the Kuokuang Petrochemical executive continues to forget he's the Nation's Premier
EPA and NSC appeal High Administrative Court order
Erosion of democracy and freedom Beijing style
Local residents block access to FPG plant
Local residents continue to block access to FPG plant
Plans to buy another 800 hectares of wetlands to save pink dolphin habitat and to protect threatened birds and marine life
Isn’t It Time the Legal Community Spoke Up?
Science park development at Houli gets the nod
Taiwan's rubber stamp EPA
The environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project was ruled invalid by the Supreme Administrative Court on the 22 January this year. The Environmental Protection Administration, CTSP and developers ignored the ruling. Then, on July 30th the Taipei High Administrative Court again ruled against further development on the site, on the grounds that the National Science Council had not completed a comprehensive health risk assessment. The government's response to this was to question the ability of the judges and undermine the authority of the judiciary. Then, institute an appeal. But even before the court's had ruled on the appeal, EPA's Environmental Impact Assessment committee instead of sending the Phase-3 development project to a second round of review, chose to ignore the courts and gave conditional approval on Tuesday (2010-08-31) for the Phase 3 development of the CTSP at Cising and Houli to go ahead.
The ruling stopping work at the CTSP Phase 4 development (Kuokuang Petrochemical) in Erlin, Changhua County was revoked. The suspension of Phase 4 will now be up to the Taipei High Administrative Court.
See Science park's appeal rejected, Learning the lessons of Mailiao for Dacheng and Quantifying the non-quantifiable in today's Taipei Times.
Also see:
Academics against new Kuokuang plant
Government quick to defend Formosa Plastics in the wake of a second fire
Formosa Plastics on fire again
Taiwan High Administrative Court orders Central Taiwan Science Park to halt all expansion pending a ruling on two lawsuits
The saga of the CTSP Erlin Science Park and the Kuokuang Petrochemical Project
Wu the Kuokuang Petrochemical executive continues to forget he's the Nation's Premier
EPA and NSC appeal High Administrative Court order
Erosion of democracy and freedom Beijing style
Local residents block access to FPG plant
Local residents continue to block access to FPG plant
Plans to buy another 800 hectares of wetlands to save pink dolphin habitat and to protect threatened birds and marine life
Isn’t It Time the Legal Community Spoke Up?
Science park development at Houli gets the nod
Taiwan's rubber stamp EPA
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Photos: EPA gives Phase 3 CTSP the nod even if the courts say no.
Photo A
Photo B
Photo C
Photo DPhotos A-D: local residents from Houli, stakeholders, environmental and rights groups, farmers groups and concerned citizens peacefully protested outside the EPA building in Taipei in the pouring rain on Tuesday calling on the EPA to follow the rule of law and send the project for a second round of review. Note the dress of the police. No riot gear is visible. A sure indication that protests were peaceful and police were not expecting trouble.
Photo E: observers view the meeting on a monitor in a different room.On Tuesday (2010-08-31) the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) gave conditional approval for the Phase 3 Zone [Houli] of the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) to go ahead. The decision to allow the highly controversial project to go ahead is in all likelihood illegal. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project was ruled invalid by the Supreme Administrative Court on the 22 January this year. Then, on 2 August the Taipei High Administrative Court issued an injunction against further development on the site, on the grounds that the National Science Council had not completed a comprehensive health risk assessment.
During Tuesday's five-hour-long meeting local residents from Houli, stakeholders, environmental and rights groups, farmers groups and concerned citizens peacefully protested outside the EPA building in Taipei in the pouring rain calling on the EPA to follow the rule of law and send the project to a second round of review.
The EPA minister Stephen Shen allowed a few representatives from various groups against the project to briefly address the meeting. But for the most part, those against the development were shut out in the pouring rain while a few observers were allowed to watch proceedings on a monitor from a different room.
See EPA greenlights science park expansion plan in Taiwan Today.
Also see:
Academics against new Kuokuang plant
Government quick to defend Formosa Plastics in the wake of a second fire
Formosa Plastics on fire again
Taiwan High Administrative Court orders Central Taiwan Science Park to halt all expansion pending a ruling on two lawsuits
The saga of the CTSP Erlin Science Park and the Kuokuang Petrochemical Project
Wu the Kuokuang Petrochemical executive continues to forget he's the Nation's Premier
EPA and NSC appeal High Administrative Court order
Erosion of democracy and freedom Beijing style
Local residents block access to FPG plant
Local residents continue to block access to FPG plant
Plans to buy another 800 hectares of wetlands to save pink dolphin habitat and to protect threatened birds and marine life
Isn’t It Time the Legal Community Spoke Up?
Science park development at Houli gets the nod
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Science park development at Houli gets the nod
Despite a Supreme Administrative Court ruling to void the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the expansion of the Phase 3 Zone [Houli] of the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP), the Environmental Protection Administration's (EPA) environmental impact assessment (EIA) committee yesterday gave conditional approval for the project to go ahead.
It is no surprise that the EPA once more ignored due process and did exactly what Premier Wu Den-yih wanted them to do. Legally, the EPA's EIA committee were required to to send the Phase-3 development project to a second round of review. But with EPA Minister Stephen Shen at the helm of yesterday's proceedings, the EIA committee wasn't going to do anything other than agree with their boss; even if that decision was of extremely dubious legality.
So yesterday marked another very sad day in the rule of law under the Ma regime. Ma and his cabinet seem to care little for legal niceties, displaced farmers and rural communities, fishers, pink dolphins, and reducing the nation's CO2 emissions. It's all about growth you see. About ensuring their cronies in the petrochemical industry get exactly what they want so they can grow richer at the expense of the nation, its health and sustainably managing its natural resources. Surely there are less toxic ways to create jobs?
But wait, you say. The approval was conditional. The EPA didn't give the developers the green light to do exactly what they want. There were requirements regulating water usage, ambient water quality and emission of volatile organic compounds. Sadly, the EPA doesn't have a very good track record there. Perhaps a little tap on the wrist and a little fine like they have done with Formosa Plastics with its fires and excessive water usage.
For more see Science park development gets conditional approval in today's Taipei Times.
Also see:
Academics against new Kuokuang plant
Government quick to defend Formosa Plastics in the wake of a second fire
Formosa Plastics on fire again
Taiwan High Administrative Court orders Central Taiwan Science Park to halt all expansion pending a ruling on two lawsuits
The saga of the CTSP Erlin Science Park and the Kuokuang Petrochemical Project
Wu the Kuokuang Petrochemical executive continues to forget he's the Nation's Premier
EPA and NSC appeal High Administrative Court order
Erosion of democracy and freedom Beijing style
Local residents block access to FPG plant
Local residents continue to block access to FPG plant
Plans to buy another 800 hectares of wetlands to save pink dolphin habitat and to protect threatened birds and marine life
Isn’t It Time the Legal Community Spoke Up?
Photos: EPA gives Phase 3 CTSP the nod even if the courts say no.
Taiwan's rubber stamp EPA
It is no surprise that the EPA once more ignored due process and did exactly what Premier Wu Den-yih wanted them to do. Legally, the EPA's EIA committee were required to to send the Phase-3 development project to a second round of review. But with EPA Minister Stephen Shen at the helm of yesterday's proceedings, the EIA committee wasn't going to do anything other than agree with their boss; even if that decision was of extremely dubious legality.
So yesterday marked another very sad day in the rule of law under the Ma regime. Ma and his cabinet seem to care little for legal niceties, displaced farmers and rural communities, fishers, pink dolphins, and reducing the nation's CO2 emissions. It's all about growth you see. About ensuring their cronies in the petrochemical industry get exactly what they want so they can grow richer at the expense of the nation, its health and sustainably managing its natural resources. Surely there are less toxic ways to create jobs?
But wait, you say. The approval was conditional. The EPA didn't give the developers the green light to do exactly what they want. There were requirements regulating water usage, ambient water quality and emission of volatile organic compounds. Sadly, the EPA doesn't have a very good track record there. Perhaps a little tap on the wrist and a little fine like they have done with Formosa Plastics with its fires and excessive water usage.
For more see Science park development gets conditional approval in today's Taipei Times.
Also see:
Academics against new Kuokuang plant
Government quick to defend Formosa Plastics in the wake of a second fire
Formosa Plastics on fire again
Taiwan High Administrative Court orders Central Taiwan Science Park to halt all expansion pending a ruling on two lawsuits
The saga of the CTSP Erlin Science Park and the Kuokuang Petrochemical Project
Wu the Kuokuang Petrochemical executive continues to forget he's the Nation's Premier
EPA and NSC appeal High Administrative Court order
Erosion of democracy and freedom Beijing style
Local residents block access to FPG plant
Local residents continue to block access to FPG plant
Plans to buy another 800 hectares of wetlands to save pink dolphin habitat and to protect threatened birds and marine life
Isn’t It Time the Legal Community Spoke Up?
Photos: EPA gives Phase 3 CTSP the nod even if the courts say no.
Taiwan's rubber stamp EPA
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)