Environmental Management Administration

In 1993, Taiwan's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA, now the Ministry of Environment) signed "The Agreement between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States and the American Institute in Taiwan for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection" (referred to as the Taiwan-U.S. Environmental Cooperation Agreement) with the U.S. EPA. Execution plans, outlining cooperation projects, have since been signed every two to three years. Starting in 2014, Taiwan and the U.S. EPA have jointly promoted the "International Environmental Partnership Program."

Since 2013, Taiwan's EMA and the U.S. EPA has included "Environmental Enforcement and Compliance" as a key project under the Taiwan-U.S. Environmental Cooperation Agreement. Together, they organized the "Regional National Environmental Enforcement Personnel and Seed Instructor Training," inviting representatives from Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore to Taiwan for training, facilitating the exchange of environmental enforcement experiences between Taiwan and other countries.

In the same year, Taiwan and the U.S. EPA jointly held an "Environmental Enforcement Practical Training" in Taiwan. Senior attorneys and inspectors from the U.S. EPA were invited to Taiwan to conduct training sessions aimed at enhancing the practical skills of environmental inspectors from Taiwan's central and local governments. The training focused particularly on simulated factory inspections and provided a platform for sharing Taiwan-U.S. experiences and technologies in environmental enforcement.

Starting in 2014, "Environmental Enforcement" became the core focus. In addition to cooperating with the U.S. EPA to organize environmental enforcement workshops, Taiwan also actively participated in the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN) and co-hosted international conferences. These activities not only fostered mutual learning in pollution control strategies between Taiwan and other countries but also included hosting international seminars and inviting environmental protection personnel from across Asia to Taiwan to exchange experiences. Advanced technologies from developed countries were introduced to expand the integration of technology and environmental enforcement, strengthening regional environmental partnerships, and establishing communication channels.

In 2014, a delegation from Taiwan participated in a workshop at the U.S. EPA's Region 9, covering topics such as environmental enforcement systems and practices, as well as effective penalty systems. The program content included key aspects of environmental enforcement planning and performance evaluation, case tracking procedures and tool introduction, division of responsibilities between the U.S. EPA and state governments, calculations of unlawful gains, and environmental compensation plans. This experience enhanced Taiwan's effectiveness in environmental enforcement to ensure the effective implementation of environmental protection efforts.

Program—Environmental Enforcement Strategy Exchange Event The "2015 U.S. EPA Environmental Enforcement Strategy Exchange Program" was an event under the 2015 International Environmental Partnership Program. The administration sent a delegation to the U.S. to attend the "Taiwan-U.S. Environmental Technology Cooperation Agreement Biennial and International Environmental Partnership Program Promotion" event, and visited EPA agencies in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Discussions with the U.S. EPA covered environmental enforcement strategies and future cooperation directions. The delegation learned about the annual special inspection plan formulated based on key environmental issues, and how data analysis is used to select inspection targets, optimizing manpower and resources for efficient enforcement. The delegation also visited the U.S. Environmental Enforcement Investigation Center's forensic laboratory to understand the support structure for frontline inspectors, including evidence collection and physical testing. This organization and functions provided valuable references for Taiwan.

In 2015, Taiwan hosted the "Next Generation Environmental Enforcement Seminar" in Thailand as a significant activity under the International Environmental Partnership Program, aimed at strengthening environmental enforcement cooperation among Asian countries. The seminar, co-organized by Taiwan's EMA and the U.S. EPA, was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from Sept. 21 to 23, 2015. 47 experts and scholars, including government officials from 16 countries, representatives from the Asian Development Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, research institutions, and civil organizations participated.

During the seminar, participants discussed and shared experiences in environmental enforcement. Common issues faced included insufficient training and skills of inspectors, inadequate laws and regulations, penalties too lenient to deter violations, lack of scientific tools, insufficient public awareness of environmental protection, and a lack of public participation.

In 2015, the administration visited the South Coast Air Quality Management District in California and collaborated with the U.S. EPA's Region 9 for environmental enforcement training, focusing on learning and exchanging practical experience and case studies in air pollution control.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District is a local environmental protection agency in Southern California, an area heavily impacted by industrial and traffic-related air pollution. Through the agency's efforts, air quality in the region has significantly improved in recent years. The agency shared valuable experiences in air pollution enforcement, with a particular focus on inspections and case analysis for refineries.

The U.S. EPA Region 9's Air Pollution Enforcement Division focuses on enforcement personnel from professional backgrounds and specializes in in-depth enforcement reviews rather than extensive coverage, integrating personnel from different fields to collaborate on environmental enforcement actions, thereby achieving more effective inspection goals. The training also covered penalty systems and the enforcement process and practical experience in refinery environmental enforcement.

In 2019, the administration attended the "2019 U.S. EPA Environmental Enforcement Training," covering topics such as air pollution enforcement, water pollution enforcement, and environmental impact assessment (EIA) supervision. The delegation visited the U.S. EPA headquarters, Region 1, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the Environmental Institute to exchange practical enforcement experiences with these agencies. They also visited the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority's treatment facility, and Prince William Forest Park. During the visit to the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, the delegation observed fixed pollution source continuous automatic monitoring systems in the biogas power generation facility, learning about effective operation and maintenance. Additionally, a themed discussion on VOC gas leak detection provided valuable insights for the future direction and priorities of Taiwan-U.S. cooperation and aided with the understanding of using advanced technologies such as infrared gas detection equipment to detect and manage volatile organic pollutants within factories, ensuring compliance with environmental protection regulations.

This training also included meetings with U.S. EPA Region 1 and Massachusetts environmental protection departments, as well as discussions with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office. Through presentations and discussions during site visits, such as at the Deer Island Wastewater Treatment Plant and the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority's treatment facility, both sides exchanged methods and experiences, which will serve as a reference for future EIA supervision.

Through the "International Environmental Partnership Program," the "International Environmental Partnership Program—Vietnam Training Course" was held in Taiwan in 2019. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam, through the U.S. EPA, expressed to the administration its desire to visit Taiwan to learn about Taiwan's environmental regulations and relevant enforcement experience.

According to the implementation guidelines of the Taiwan-U.S. Environmental Cooperation Agreement, the administration and the U.S. EPA have cooperated to strengthen Taiwan's technical capacity for remediating soil and groundwater pollution sites. This includes developing, selecting, designing, using, and monitoring various on-site remediation technologies to comply with regulations and achieve environmental goals related to pollution site management.

In recent years, the administration and the U.S. EPA have co-hosted events such as the "International Symposium on New Trends in Pollution Site Investigation and Remediation" in 2021, the "International Symposium on Advanced Simulation, Characterization, and Remediation Technologies for Pollution Sites" in 2022, and the "2024 Taiwan-U.S. International Symposium on Soil and Groundwater Technology Exchange-Emerging Pollutants and Remediation Practices." These hybrid in-person and online international symposiums attracted over 150 experts from industry, government, and academia, helping to enhance technical skills and increase the success rate of achieving remediation goals.