The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in Taiwan, instructed Taiwanese port authorities to reduce pollution as much as possible, after a severe air pollution was noticed in the country.
Namely, according to local media, EPA proceeded to the following actions, after numerous red alerts were noted in Taiwan:
- Asked state-run Taiwan Power Co. to decrease electricity output by 4,250 MW.
- Requested schools to note pollution warning flags, in order for the students to precautions measures
- Urged port authorities to instruct ships to use low-sulfur fuel oil.
- Farmers were asked not to burn farm waste outdoors.
Furthermore, Taiwan’s Executive Yuan (Cabinet) announced an action plan to cut air pollution and foster renewable energy.
The plan includes a measure, saying that there will be a ban on the sale of nonelectric two- and four-wheel vehicles that run on fossil fuels.
The Air Pollution Control Act aims to reduce the density of airborne particulate matter measuring smaller than 2.5 micrometers by the end of 2019.
This plan gives the EPA the mandate to establish stricter emissions standards that all ten-year-old vehicles must comply with. Under the proposal, the EPA will firstly impose stricter standards on motorcycles powered by two-stroke engines and older diesel-powered trucks.
- Additional targets of the Air Pollution Control Act. include the following:
- Replace all new government vehicles and public buses with electric-powered versions by 2030;
- Ban all sales of nonelectric motorcycles and sell only fully electric ones by 2035; and
- Ban all sales of nonelectric four-wheel vehicles and sell only fully electric ones by 2040.
- Require vessels in ports to replace onboard power auxiliary engines that run on heavy fuels with electricity generated onshore in order to power cargo handling equipment and other ship services.
- Authorize the EPA to regulate “hazardous air pollutant” emissions believed to cause serious adverse health effects in addition to the air pollutants already covered by law and to “establish emissions standards for another 72 types of compounds.
- Set rules on the use of fuel additives and the fuel composition for fixed emitters of air pollutants like raw coal and petroleum coke and prescribing limits on the use of volatile organic compounds in products such as paints, organic solvents, and aromatics.
- Impose increased fines and stiffer penalties for offences and recovering profits earned from company operations that violate the law.
