Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (“EPA”) has proposed amendments to both the Standards for Determining Specific Items and Scope of Environmental Impact Assessments for Development Activities（開發行為應實施環境影響評估細目及範圍認定標準）and the Environmental Impact Assessment Enforcement Rules（環境影響評估法施行細則）(collectively the '
Environmental Impact Assessment Acts').
As there is some overlap between the urban planning examination and environmental impact assessment, the EPA is considering a relaxation of the requirements in the current Environmental Impact Assessment Acts. Per the amendments, construction of high rise buildings in urban areas will no longer require to pass an environmental impact assessment.
Several other important changes in the amendments are listed below:
- Builders must pass an environment assessment before construction of new infrastructure in national parks and/or wildlife protection zones. The new laws specify that environment impact assessments are no longer required before building new infrastructure in urban area(s).
- Before the amendment, an environmental impact assessment must be passed before any residential building over 30 stories or 100m in height, or commercial building over 20 stories or 70m in height can be constructed. After the revision, passage of an environment impact assessment will be required only to construct a high rise building over 70m in height in mountain areas or non-urban areas.
The new amendments have caught the attention of several environmental protection NGOs, and the entire draft will be further discussed amongst EPA officials, scholars, and environment protective NGOs before further progress on the amendments can be made.
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