Investigator self-interest in the environmental process

The Swedish Environmental Code states that certain potentially harmful activities must not be pursued without a permit. When applying for a permit,the applicant shall submit an environmental impact assessment, which describes the effects that the activity might have on the environment. This article discusses the risk that investigator self-interest decreases the adequacy of environmental impact assessments. The article also presents a newly made empirical study of whether and how arguments about investigator self-interest are considered and taken on board by Swedish environmental courts.