Newsletter
DRAFT MARINE POLLUTION PREVENTION ACT COMPLETED
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) recently completed a draft of the Marine Pollution Prevention Act and forwarded it to the Executive Yuan for consideration. The principle points of the draft law are as follows:
All harbors including commercial harbors, military harbors, and fishing harbors must install waste oil treatment facilities in order to reduce marine pollution.
Firms engaged in ocean dumping and treatment of marine waste must pay a handling fee which will flow to a fund for the prevention of marine pollution and promotion of ecological development.
Vessels sailing within ROC maritime waters must possess pollution control treatment equipment and pollution prevention certificates.
All firms engaged in ocean dumping or the treatment of marine waste must present their personnel and equipment, marine pollution prevention plans, operation plans, financial letters of guarantee and liability insurance policies to the EPA for inspection and registration. Only after obtaining a permit are they allowed to be engaged in ocean dumping and treatment of marine waste. The competent authority should announce the permitted and prohibited types of materials for dumping in the ocean and the restricted geographical areas for dumping. Those who dump waste into the ocean without approval are subject to prison terms of up to 10 years and fines of up to NT$100 million.