Dozens of residents of Yuanli Township (苑裡), Miaoli County, yesterday rallied in front of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) against a wind turbine project they say is too close to their homes and violates the minimum distance required by the environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Some held piglets, others were accompanied by dogs on leashes and some held white banners with messages such as “the low-frequency electromagnetic radiation and noise from the wind turbines damages health.” The protesters shouted. “EPA, toughen up! Return the land to us.”
They said they were concerned that turbines built so close to their homes would even affect their pigs and dogs and that they would be hit if the turbines fell over.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Chen Hui-ming (陳薈茗), a representative of the local self-help association against the turbines, said that the German wind-power firm InfraVest GmbH had violated the safety distance that it had guaranteed in the EIA report.
“The Environmental Protection Administration is neglecting its duty to monitor the project and make sure it is done properly,” Chen said.
There were many flaws in the EIA’s evaluation, such as the company neglecting its responsibility to communicate with nearby residents, but the EPA still allowed the project to win EIA approval, Chen said.
The residents also questioned whether the EPA’s equipment was able to accurately measure the distance between the turbines and their homes, Chen said.
Environmental Inspection Deputy Inspector-General Yang Su-er (楊素娥) said the EPA’s new equipment, purchased this year, was capable of precisely measuring the proper distances for this project.
The protesters later went to the Control Yuan to present a petition asking for an investigation into whether the EPA and the Bureau of Energy had ignored their duties to ensure that InfraVest builds the turbines according to safety principles.
The association staged a protest at the EPA two weeks ago, asking it to fine InfraVest for violating required safety distance requirement and to reconduct the EIA.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS