CENTRAL GOVT. UPHOLDS FCFC'S APPEAL AGAINST CHANGHUA COUNTY|台化停工逆轉 環署撤銷彰縣府行政處分

To lower levels of pollution, Changhua County Government refused to issue extensions to permits for coal-powered generators at Formosa Chemical and Fibre Corporation's plants. FCFC appealed to the Environmental Protection Administration and on Mar. 10, the appeals committee decided to revoke the punishment by Changhua County. The reason given was that the Changhua County Government's review procedure was illegal. The county government said that it respected the decision, and FCFC said it will apply to the county government for compensation. Dissatisfied at the non-transparent review procedure, environmental protection groups excoriated the Environmental Protection Administration and entered its premises to protest, where they clashed with police. =YANG ZE-MIN CEO Air Clean Taiwan Alliance versus police officer == You can only come in if you are invited. What is that? You don't look after people's lives Three extension applications for permits for coal-powered generators at FCFC's Changhua plant were refused by the local county government last year. They were forced to stop operating and so FCFC appealed to the EPA. On date of the five-month deadline, the EPA appeal committee met in the morning and decided to revoke the administrative sanctions imposed by the Changhua County Government and asked the county government to rectify it's flawed administrative procedure. ==TSAN SHUN-GUI Dep. Minister EPA== This has been judged to be a mistake as the actual procedure was illegal. The reasons given (by the county government) were not complete and together with other issues, we revoked the county government decision to punish the company. The denial of the application for extension of permits was also revoked by the appeal committee. When environmental groups learned of this, they accused the EPA of supporting conglomerates and not looking after public health. The FCFC union said it hoped that the county government would not make any more appeals and let the plant go back to work. ==YEH KUANG-FAN Chair, Air Clean Taiwan Alliance== This is a non-communicative government and a cold-blooded government and it's a government which loves the conglomerates. ==LIU HSING-HUA Chair FCFC== Our staff hope that Changhua County Government will allow them to go back to work, Changhua County Government responded that they respected the outcome, and emphasized that if FCFC was not up to standards, they would demand it stopped operating. The EPA said just because it revoked Changhua County Government's punishment, it did not mean that FCFC could start operating again, but that the county government would re-review the case. It also said that if either side was unhappy with the conclusion, they could appeal. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR 彰化縣政府為降低空汙，不同意核發台化彰化廠汽電共生鍋爐的展延許可，台化向環保署提起訴願，訴願委員會今天決定撤銷、彰化縣政府做出的行政處分，理由是縣府審查過程程序違法。對此,彰化縣政府表示尊重，台塑方面則打算向縣府請求損害賠償。 不滿訴願審查過程不公開，環保團體痛批環保署黑箱作業，並直接衝進環保署，與警方發生激烈推擠。 ==台灣健康空氣行動聯盟執行長 楊澤民 vs. 警方== 人家邀請你才可以 大家是怎樣 不用顧人家(民)的生命是不是 台化彰化廠，3張汽電共生鍋爐許可證展延，去年遭彰化縣駁回，因此停工，台化不服向環保署提起訴願，就在5個月裁定期限即將屆滿之際，環保署訴願委員會上午開會，最後做出決定，撤銷彰化縣政府所做出的行政處分，並要求縣政府要改正行政瑕疵。 ==環保署副署長 詹順貴== 這個事實認定的錯誤 有程序上的違法 還有它的理由不夠完備 等等的這些項目 所以我們會撤銷彰化縣的 這個駁回處分 另外針對台化請求由環保署來展延原來的許可證，也遭到訴願委員會駁回。得知結果，環保團體批評環保署選擇擁抱財團，不顧人民健康。而台化工會表示，希望彰化縣政府不要再提訴願，讓工廠盡快復工。 ==台灣健康空氣行動聯盟理事長 葉光芃== 這是一個不溝通的政府 這是一個冷血的政府 這是一個對財團熱情的政府 ==台化工會理事長 劉興華== (彰化縣)不要再 讓我們可以復工 這是我們員工的希望 彰化縣政府回應，尊重訴願結果，強調台化若還是不符標準，還是會要求停工。而環保署表示，撤銷彰化縣的行政處分，不代表台化就可以復工，而是希望彰化縣政府重新審查，並表示雙方若不滿裁決結果，可以再向重新提起訴願。 記者 李志華 彭耀祖 台北報導