ATTEMPTS TO PASS FARMLAND TO GREEN ENERGY BUSINESS FAIL|鬆綁高汙染潛勢農地管制 環署開放種電

Changhua has a lot of highly-polluted potential agricultural land which is under control due to heavy metal pollution. Over two months ago, the Environmental Protection Bureau passed a regulation for polluted agricultural land to be developed for renewable energy, so that electricity generation and land rehabilitation could be carried out in tandem, hoping to improve the use of land. However, for small farmers, the lack of incentives, coupled with a lack of understanding of the policy, means that few want to invest, whereas photovoltaic businesses must bear the cost of land rehabilitation, so none are willing to invest either. Environmental Protection Bureau put signs in the rice fields saying that ,because they are polluted with heavy metals, the crops cannot be harvested and the land has become a farmland pollution management site. In the final survey of land polluted by heavy metal, Changhua County found that Changhua City, Lugang, Hemei and other places, had 82.4 percent of their agricultural land polluted with excessive heavy metals, such as copper. This agricultural land is now intended for use as sites for renewable energy development. ==CHIANG PEI-KEN Dir.-gen., Changhua Environmental Protection Bureau== The contaminated fields are not suitable for agricultural use. If we can introduce the green energy sector here, first of all it can reduce the risks of food contamination. And secondly, it also complies to the country's renewable energy policy. Over two months ago, the EPB reviewed and passed principles for polluted agricultural land to be used for renewable energy development, to allowed electricity generation and land rehabilitation to be carried out in tandem. Farmers can lease the land to the photovoltaic industry, and the rental income can make up for the loss of harvests. Photovoltaic industries can rent land and produce electricity. Investment in this sounds well-intentioned, but farmers have a lot of doubts. ==LIN YU-YUAN Dir.-gen., Changhua City's Farmers' Association == Most of the farmland in Changhua County belongs to small farmers, so it'll be more difficult. And what if they do lease the land to the photovoltaic industry, will that person still be considered as a member of the farmers' association? And is that person still eligible for agricultural insurance? According to the farmers' associations, most of the farmland in Changhua County belongs to small farmers. If the land is leased to renewable energy companies, the land becomes non-agricultural use, and the farmers may be disqualified from their status as farmers. Their rights and interests may be damaged and the benefits of individual land rental are insignificant. Also, for electricity generation and land rehabilitation to be carried out in tandem, the decontamination costs must be borne by the photovoltaic industry which worries about the cost. Thus none are willing to undertake this. TRANSLATED BY：STELLA TU 彰化有不少高汙染潛勢農地，因為重金屬汙染列管中。兩個多月前，環保署通過，汙染農地將可以進行綠電開發，讓種電和整治並行，希望提高土地的使用效應，不過對小農來說，缺乏誘因加上對政策不了解，想投入的不多，而光電廠商因為必須負擔土地整治成本，目前還沒有廠商願意投入。 環保局人員將稻田釘上標示牌，因為這些全都遭到重金屬汙染，作物不能採收，土地也成為農地汙染控制場址，彰化縣最後一批重金屬高汙染潛勢農地調查結果，包括彰化市、鹿港以及和美等地，受調查的重金屬汙染土地中，有近82.4%農地有重金屬銅超標，而這些農地現在即將可以進行綠電開發。 == 彰化縣環保局長 江培根== 受汙染的農地 它其實也不太適合 再從事農作物的耕作 所以如果能夠引進綠能產業的話 第一可以降低 食用作物的風險 第二也可以配合國家 再生能源策略 兩個多月前，環保署通過審查作業原則，汙染農地將可以進行綠電開發，讓種電和整治並行，農民可把土地租給光電業者，而租金收入可以彌補收成的損失，光電業者也可以投資大型場站賣電，聽起來立意良善，不過農民確有不少疑慮。 ==彰化市農會總幹事 林毓源== （彰化都是)小農而已 他要來做這個工作(種電) 當然是比較沒辦法 （提供種電之後)比如說 他的農保問題是不是存在 將來他是不是 如果兩分地而已 他可以兩份農保 他的(農會)會員 還可以存在嗎 農會表示，彰化縣當地大多屬於小農，如果租地給廠商，土地成為非農業用途，有可能因此喪失農民資格，權益可能受損，個人租地效益也不大；另一方面，整治和種電並行，除汙的整治費用將由承租的光電廠商負擔，擔心成本暴增，目前還沒有廠商有投入的意願。林健生 賴世杰 彰化報導