Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing yesterday criticized a decision by the Ministry of Economic Affairs to open 12 areas in six counties and cities to limestone mining starting Oct. 1.



Yang said more than 20 years ago he had opposed allowing Chiahsin Cementand Universal Cement to open limestone quarries in Dagangshan, Siaogangshan and Yanchao Jinshanzih.



As founding chairman of the Kaohsiung County chapter of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union, a former Kaohsiung County councilor and the current county commissioner, Yang said he opposed opening more quarries as it would further damage the environment.



Yang was joined in his opposition of the new quarries by a number of southern local government chiefs as well as Kaohsiung County Teachers' Association president Liu Ya-ping.



Liu said that among the 12 areas set to open for limestone mining, Kaohsiung will see the largest area opened to mining, with three quarries covering 3,200 hectares.



Liu said Kaohsiung County cared for the environment and prided itself on its beautiful scenery, but construction projects such as the expansion of Zengwun Reservoir catchment area had caused severe landslides.



Opening new quarries would also make the landscape more prone to disasters, he said.



The county has succeeded in implementing bans on quarrying and using dynamite and digging machines, and both the county government and private organizations have invested in reforestation, he said.



The ministry's Mining Bureau said lifting the ban on mining in the 12 areas was not tantamount to opening up new quarries, as that required further legal procedures, including applying to have the areas rezoned for limestone quarrying.



However, Control Yuan member Yeh Yao-peng said at a separate setting yesterday that the lungs of Kaohsiung residents should not be sacrificed to satisfy the interests of a small number of people.



Yeh said he had requested an investigation into the decision making process, including who had made the decision to lift the ban and what forums and public hearings had been held before the decision was made.