Environmental Groups Oppose Construction Waste Disposal in Taichung Port, City Government Respects Professional Assessment

CNA reporter Hao Xueqing, Taichung, 18th - Multiple environmental groups protested at the Taichung City Hall Square today, demanding legal environmental impact assessments to protect the habitat of white dolphins, opposing the disposal of construction waste in Taichung Port. The Taichung City Government stated that the environmental impact assessment is handled by the Environmental Protection Administration, and the city government respects professional assessments.

The environmental groups explained that the protest was triggered by the Taichung City Government and Taichung Port Corporation, in line with the Executive Yuan's policy, successively issuing operational guidelines for the disposal of construction waste in Taichung Port, planning to dispose of construction waste from five counties and cities in central Taiwan.

The Alliance for Supervising Governance, along with multiple environmental protection groups in central Taiwan, independent Taichung City Councilor Wu Peiyin, and others held a press conference at the square in front of the city hall, stating that this move not only threatens the habitat of the endangered white dolphins, of which there are fewer than 50 left in Taiwan, but will also destroy and pollute the marine environment. They demanded the immediate abolition of the two disposal guidelines and the disclosure of meeting records, to prevent the land reclamation policy and the disposal of waste soil in the port from accelerating the extinction of white dolphins.

Wu Peiyin believes that the 'Operational Guidelines for the Disposal of Construction Waste in Taichung Port by the Taichung City Government for Non-Public Works' issued by the Taichung City Government on the 9th is an attempt by the Taichung City Government and the port company to use 'rebate money' and 'government approval and recommendation' to package the Taichung Port reclamation area, which is highly controversial in terms of ecology, into a legal disposal site for civilian waste soil in Taichung.

Xu Xinxin, executive director of the Alliance for Supervising Governance, pointed out that setting up a soil resource site requires an environmental impact assessment, but reclamation only uses two operational guidelines to turn Taichung Port into a waste soil concession. She questioned why the important activity range of white dolphins in Taichung Port has become the solution to the chaos of soil disposal. The Ministry of Transportation and the Taichung City Government should immediately abolish the two 'disposal guidelines' lacking legal authorization. All soil disposal and reclamation in the port must undergo legal environmental impact assessments.

In response to the concerns of environmental groups about the impact on the ecology of white dolphins, the Environmental Protection Bureau of the Taichung City Government responded that the competent authority for the port area of Taichung Port is the Ministry of Transportation and Ports Administration and Taiwan International Ports Corporation, and the review of environmental impact assessments is handled by the central Environmental Protection Administration. The Taichung City Government respects professional assessments. (Edited by Li Xizheng) 1150618

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