Appraisal of Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co.'s petrochem complex continues

18-Jun-10

Environmental groups have evaluated that the environmental hazards of Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co's new petrochemical complex planned at Yunlin will far outweigh the economic gains claimed by investors and government agencies. Organizations opposing the project have decided to solicit signatures from 100 prominent professors and researchers to urge the government to scrap the plan. This has led The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to call for respect of the existing mechanism for environmental impact evaluation. Opposers of the project voice that the plan should be aborted to safeguard the health of residents and the water resources in the region, to prevent a sharp increase in carbon emissions that will cause extensive pollution to farmland and agricultural crops and hamper animal conservation in the area. The groups are concerned that an environmental impact evaluation panel is likely to approves the project shortly. Officials at the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) denied the allegation that the environmental impact evaluation report will be approved soon.