§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the cost of environmental degradation, (like damage to the ozone layer, the effect of greenhouse gases, input of heavy metal into the North and other Seas) allowed for in studies by the Departments of Energy and Transport concerning investment in (a) road and rail transport and (b) renewable energy sources, in the near and in the middle future; and how are these various costs being calculated and by whom.
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§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Employment (Viscount Ullswater)An environmental impact assessment is required for all major infrastructure projects as part of the process of obtaining planning permission. This is the case for all major transport infrastructure proposals. Most UK renewable energy projects are relatively small, but are subject to the usual planning procedures, normally including some environmental impact assessment. The Government's policy on land use and the environment is set out in detail in the White PaperThis Common Inheritance, published on 25th September.
At present there is no accepted methodology whereby the full range of environmental effects of transport or energy technology can be valued in order to assess benefits and disbenefits. Work is going on across government and internationally towards developing suitable methodologies.
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport has asked the Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment whether suitable evaluation methods can be devised for transport infrastructure. The Department of Energy has commissioned research into the feasibility of developing a methodology for assessing the environmental costs of energy technologies.