The Legislative Yuan passed the draft law on the organization of the Ministry of Environment and its three subordinate agencies in its third reading today (9th), upgrading the Environmental Protection Administration, which has been established for 36 years, to the Ministry of Environment. Regarding the breakdown of the original plan for the "Ministry of Environmental Resources" to handle the integration of mountain, forest, water, and land resources, the Democratic Progressive Party caucus proposed an accompanying resolution to establish a natural resources integration and management team under the Executive Yuan in the future.
Environmental Protection Agency Director-General Chang Tze-king said in a joint media interview that the passage of the bill in the third reading was "really exciting." He said his colleagues all hoped that the Ministry of Environment would be established on the same day as the Environmental Protection Agency, August 22, but the exact date would require guidance from higher authorities.
The Environmental Protection Administration was upgraded to the Ministry of Environment, and the Executive Yuan took over responsibility for forest, water, and soil integration.
Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Tsai Chi-chang struck the gavel at 10 a.m. today (9th), announcing the approval of the draft bill on the reorganization of the Ministry of Environment. The upgrading of the Environmental Protection Administration to the Ministry of Environment has finally been finalized.
Calls for reforming environmental-related government departments have actually been surging since around the 2000s, a discussion that spans over 20 years. In 2010, the Legislative Yuan passed the Executive Yuan Organic Act, which planned to integrate the Environmental Protection Administration, the Council of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs into the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, overseeing environmental protection and resource management. However, this has remained unrealized for over a decade.
Legislator Chen Jiahua of the New Power Party expressed deep regret today over the final adoption of the "most conservative version" of the upgrade. While this will increase the Ministry of Environment's enforcement capabilities, it also undermines the ideal of integrating water conservation, forest protection, and environmental protection. Many groups focused on flood control and land restoration are deeply disappointed. She ultimately compromised in the hope that the upgrade would improve long-standing issues such as air pollution, waste, and "dead environmental impact assessments."
Democratic Progressive Party legislator Hung Shen-han believes that Taiwan's environmental protection has long focused on back-end pollution control, and the upgrade to the Ministry of Environment provides a comprehensive governance framework for climate change and the net-zero transition. Many legislators are dissatisfied with the lack of inclusion of resources such as water, soil, and forests within the Ministry of Environment. The DPP caucus also proposed a supplementary resolution calling for the Executive Yuan to establish a natural resource integration and governance group, emphasizing the need for division of labor and coordination at the Executive Yuan level.
The environmental group Earth Citizen Foundation issued a statement pointing out that the EPA's direct upgrade to the Ministry of Environment would focus solely on pollution prevention and carbon emissions. However, the world is currently facing extreme climate change, and the government must explain to the public which agency will be responsible for coordination, addressing the conflicts between renewable energy and ecology, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, or between river management and environmental protection. Even if the existing system of Executive Yuan meetings, liaison meetings, and government officials remains in place, or even if ministries and commissions operate independently, the government must explain how to achieve this.
The Earth Citizen Foundation stated that the Ministry of Environment is already a fait accompli and hopes that the Ministry of Agriculture will undergo organizational reform to come up with a more ideal structure to achieve cross-ministerial integration of conservation.
Staffing will be expanded to over 1,000. Local authorities should clarify how conservation efforts will be coordinated.
The Ministry of Environment passed its third reading in the Legislative Yuan. Environmental Protection Administration Director Chang Tzu-ching stated that he had been working in environmental protection since graduation and was transferred to the central government immediately after the EPA was established in 1987. "I'm really excited about the approval of the Ministry of Environment." When asked when the Ministry of Environment would officially be established, Chang Tzu-ching stated that his colleagues were looking forward to its establishment on August 22nd, the same day as the EPA, but the exact date still needed to be determined by higher-ups.
Zhang Zijing stated that the current preparatory work includes adjustments to operating systems and personnel. The number of staff will increase from the current 743 to 1,007, with the Climate Change Division alone increasing from 26 to 124. This will ensure seamless integration of work across various departments.
The Ministry of Environment will be composed of five three-level agencies. The Climate Change Agency will be responsible for greenhouse gas reduction and climate adaptation. The Resources and Recycling Agency will be responsible for waste reduction, recycling, and disposal at the source. The Chemical Substances Management Agency will be responsible for toxic disaster prevention and response, as well as chemical substance management. The Environmental Management Agency will be responsible for environmental law enforcement and soil and groundwater remediation. The National Environmental Research Institute will be responsible for environmental research, testing, and certification agency management, as well as personnel training.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/236716)
