In the 1980s, lacking other options to overcome poverty, Yunlin broke ranks with Ilan, Taoyuan and other counties that opposed the Sixth Naphtha Cracker project. Liao Chuan-yu, who was then county commissioner, decided to welcome the project, hoping that the county would benefit economically.
1980 年代，雲林正因窮得沒辦法了，才一反宜蘭、桃園等縣反對台塑六輕設廠的態度，由當時的縣長廖泉裕帶頭「歡迎」六輕至雲林麥寮設廠，希望能為地方帶來繁榮。