Environmental impact assessment for Taoyuan Aerotropolis approved

The administration held an EIA meeting that same day that was chaired by EPA Minister Stephen Shu-hung Shen to discuss the ambitious project to develop the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and surrounding area. Taoyuan Magistrate Wu Chih-yang also attended the meeting. The project will cover an area of 4,791 hectares and is estimated to be completed in 2030. It is expected to release a large volume of pollutants into the atmosphere, including an estimated 1,107 tons per year of total suspended particulate matter, 107 tons of sulfur oxides and 4,580 tons of nitrogen oxides. The EPA said that construction companies and the Taoyuan county government should adopt emission offset rules to mitigate increases in pollutant emissions so as to maintain air quality. An emission offset occurs when a company compensates for an increase in emissions in one area by decreasing emissions in another area. The project is also expected to have an adverse impact on water supplies in the county because it will increase the amount of industrial water use by 72,550 tons per day. Although the EIA stipulates only that the construction companies should take measures to check for leakage, the EPA said they should also implement water-conservation plans, strengthen rainwater collection and recycle treated waste water, seek renewable water resources and refrain from using water earmarked for agricultural use. Taiwan Water Conservation Alliance spokeswoman Chen Jiau-hua noted, however, that the report only requires water leakage detection and said this is insufficient. "Water resources should be passed down to future generations and should not be improperly exploited by this generation," Chen said. She added that since Taoyuan County does not have sufficient water resources, if construction companies cannot promise sufficient water supplies, the EIA should not have been approved. The county government said the county will have about 1,000 ponds set aside for the storage of water for agricultural and human consumption in the future and that water quality will be ensured. (By Zoe Wei and Y.L. Kao)Air Jordan XIII High