Public to discuss amendment of laws to prevent more accidents at Formosa Mailio cracker

10-Jun-11

The legislature held a public hearing to discuss whether laws should be amended to prevent more accidents at Formosa Plastics Corp’s sixth naphtha cracker in Mailiao Township, Yunlin County as per Taipeitimes. At a meeting of the Health, Environment and Social Welfare Committee, specialists and governmental officials discussed how the Air Pollution Control Act and Toxic Chemical Substances Control Act could be amended to address the problematic plant. The incidents at the complex are causing serious environmental pollution and have exposed problems in both the government’s industry supervision and the management at the plant. After about three hours of discussion, a consensus was reached on asking Cabinet agencies to submit legal amendments or enforcement and preventative rules before the legislative session resumes in September. It was demanded that the Ministry of Economic Affairs monitor the plant and present a total pipeline renewal plan and implementation schedule before the next legislative session begins. Cabinet agencies were also asked to regularly enforce plants to shut down for inspection and to set up an independent investigation board such as the US’ Chemical Safety Board (CSB), an independent federal agency tasked with investigating industrial chemical accidents to protect workers, the public and the environment.