TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chiayi County Environmental Protection Bureau fined two asphalt plants in Chiayi County on Friday (March 29) for exceeding odor emissions.

The bureau said in a press release that it delegated a testing agency to conduct an odor sample, per CNA. Results showed the odor detection value exceeded the standard emission 154 times for one of the plants.

Bureau Director Chang Hui-chuan (張輝川) said that asphalt is mostly used in road construction projects and the manufacturing process is prone to producing waste gas and odors, per Liberty Times. “Plants should strengthen the collection of odor and operate air pollution prevention equipment properly,” he said.

Chang added that if plants are reported by the public, the bureau will conduct joint inspections, schedule inspections and tests, and conduct periodic inspections. Air quality microsensors will also be installed around industrial areas to assist in inspections, he said.

The plant that exceeded the standard emission 154 times was fined NT$1.2 million (US$37,528) and another was fined NT$100,000 for violating the Air Pollution Control Act, the bureau reported. The operators of both plants will be required to take a two-hour environmental education lecture and make improvements within a prescribed period.