Nantou County Plans Incinerator; Self-Help Group Accuses Government of Avoiding Alternatives

Central News Agency, Nantou, May 27. The Nantou County Government held a scoping meeting for the second stage of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a waste treatment center today. The self-help group stated that the county government continues to avoid substantive discussions on alternative plans, effectively deciding to build the incinerator in Mingjian Township first and then using the EIA to rubber-stamp the project, which severely violates the spirit of the system. Nantou County has no waste incinerator and relies on other counties, with about 310,000 tons of waste accumulated. The county plans to build the Nantou County Waste Treatment and Renewable Energy Center in Xinmin Village, Mingjian Township. The National Property Administration under the Ministry of Finance transferred 7.5 hectares of 'specific agricultural zone' state-owned land to the county government last March. The county must subsequently apply to the Ministry of Agriculture for land use conversion. The county has already held five scoping meetings for the second stage of the EIA. Today's meeting was a continuation, attended by the Mingjian Township Anti-Incinerator Self-Help Group and residents. The group urged the county to stop pushing the process, address traffic infrastructure deficiencies, and present and discuss alternatives. Mingjian Township Mayor Chen Han-li stated that the local community remains firmly opposed to the incinerator. He noted that experts and developers have avoided discussing alternative sites or 'zero-option' plans, treating the development as a foregone conclusion. Self-help group leader Shi Zhizhong pointed out that the planned access road is a 'water defense road,' and the Water Resources Agency has stated it cannot be used as an access road for the incinerator. Nantou Environmental Protection Bureau Director Li Yi-shu stated that the road is managed by the Water Resources Agency, and they will seek approval for widening after the EIA is passed.