§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the environmental attributes of(a) LPG, (b) biodiesel and (c) bioethanol. [127191]
§ Mr. BradshawAn assessment of the environmental performance of various alternative fuels, including LPG, was carried out by the Cleaner Vehicles Task Force in 2000. The research showed that LPG can have air quality benefits over conventional fuels in terms of reduced emissions of particulates and oxides of nitrogen, and reduced noise, although progress with conventional engine and fuel technologies is reducing this advantage. A copy of the report "The environmental impacts of road vehicles in use" is available on the Department for Transport's website, at: www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_506888.hcsp
The Government recently published a consultation document seeking views on the future structure of the Government's support for the road fuel gases LPG and natural gas in the short to medium term, to ensure that future support continues to reflect environmental and other policy objectives. A copy of the consultation, which closes on 17 September, is available at: www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_508355.pdf
An assessment of biodiesel was commissioned by Defra from Sheffield Hallam University in 2001. The report found that emissions of carbon dioxide are significantly reduced for biodiesel compared to conventional diesel. Consistent air quality benefits from biodiesel in terms of emissions of particulates and oxides of nitrogen have not been established. A copy of the report "Evaluation of the comparative energy, global warming and socio-economic costs and benefits of biodiesel" is available on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/science/project_data/DocumentLibrary/NF0422/nf0422.pdf
A number of reports show that life cycle emissions of carbon dioxide are significantly lower for a range of vehicle types run on bioethanol compared to petrol or diesel. Research includes "Energy and greenhouse gas balance of biofuels for Europe—An update", CONCAWE, April 2002 and "Well-to-wheel analysis of energy use and the Greenhouse gas emissions of advanced fuel/vehicle systems—A European Study", L-B-Systemtechnik Consultancy, September 2002. 296W Research has also been carried out on local air quality benefits. An assessment of the emissions performance of bioethanol undertaken by AEA Technology plc (Ethanol Emissions Testing, March 2002) was published by the Department for Transport. The report found that tailpipe emissions of particulates are significantly reduced for bioethanol compared to petrol but as petrol engines are very low emitters of particulates, the large reduction in emissions from bioethanol results in only a marginal improvement in air quality. Emissions of oxides of nitrogen are not significantly changed compared to petrol.