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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS