This annual project reviewed and supervised the approved environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports of six development projects, including the 1st nuclear power plant, the 4th nuclear power plant, the 3rd phase of Central Taiwan Science Park development project (Houli Science Park), the Tree Valley Park development modification project, the 6th Naphtha Cracker Project of Formosa Plastics Corporation, and the 3rd Naphtha Cracker Renovation and Expansion Project of CPC Corporation, Taiwan in the contract period. The contracted team assisted the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to implement the “Environmental Impact Assessment Act” and to monitor the commitments concluded in environmental impact assessment reports during each development stage in the construction and operation period. In order to monitor the effectiveness of the environmental impact assessment and to examine EIA commitments, the project conducted quarterly on-site investigation and environmental monitoring. The surveillance committee meeting was held regularly every three months to review and enhance administrative performance. This project proposed the following five recommendations to the committee: 1. In addition to regular monitoring items and specific emphasized items, it was recommended that the EPA request the development company to report to the on-site monitoring conference the implementation of the EIA monitoring committee’s opinions in previous season. As a result, the EPA would be prepared to arrange the meeting agenda of the next EIA monitoring committee and to advise the development company to fulfill its commitments. 2. It was recommended that the EPA review the standard operation procedure of sampling implemented by the inspection surrogates to verify the conformation of the procedure to the official inspection method. The results of the reviews would be used for modifying the SOP in the future. 3. It was recommended that the EPA inspect the surrogate agencies with poor EIA examination records in order to assure the inspection surrogates’ adequate performance. 4. It was recommended the EPA dispatch the regional environmental inspection work force or the environmental analysis laboratory to conduct simultaneously monitoring sampling for disputed monitoring items. The sampling procedure, preservation method, and data could be compared to those of the development company for verification purpose. 5. It was recommended the competent authorities connect the EIA monitoring committee and the EIA review committee so the EIA monitoring committee had purview to make recommendations regarding EIA cases which conformed to the EIA requirements while considered unsuitable for the current situation and should be monitored closely. It was also recommended that a periodic review be needed for environmental monitoring programs in order to correspond to the current environmental situations. 6. The performance of the monitoring committee was compromised by the poor attencancy of certain members of the committee and criticized by representatives from local communities as being inconsequential. It was recommended the EPA use the attendancy as one of the criteria for selecting new members of the committee in order to maintain proper functioning of the committee as a multi-representative and professional EIA monitoring mechanism. 7. Since major development projects attracted attention from concerned stakeholders it was recommended that the auditing rules of procedure be stipulated for the EIA monitoring committee hearing so the stakeholders and concerned parties of the EIA cases could attend the hearings and state their opinions. 8. It was recommended the development company present the monitoring data in the table D during the monitoring project implementation period so the project personnel could understand the current monitoring status without further document research. It was also recommended that the meeting date be filled in the table G item of ‘previous EIA monitoring status’ in order to be informed of the frequency of inspection of certain cases.

Environmental impact assessment;Environmental supervision committee;Environmental monitoring