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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by