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Volkswagen Settlement - Environmental Mitigation Trust
Background
On October 25, 2016, the United States District Court for the District of Northern California approved a settlement with Volkswagen (VW) addressing 2.0 liter diesel engines. This action was taken to partially settle allegations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California that VW used illegal defeat devices on Model Year 2009 to 2015 diesel vehicles to evade emission tests, resulting in an exceedance of tailpipe emissions for nitrogen oxides (NOx).
The settlement requires VW to establish an environmental mitigation trust for states (including tribes, DC and Puerto Rico) to implement projects that reduce NOx emissions. In addition, a second partial consent decree was approved in December 2016 dealing with 3.0 liter diesel engines.
- Trust Activities News
- Trust Allocations & Timeline
- Final Plan Overview
- Eligible Mitigation Actions / Projects
- Links
News Regarding Trust Activities in Kansas
KDHE Launches a New Opportunity for Nonroad Equipment, August 13, 2020 to October 13, 2020
August 13, 2020: KDHE has posted a new Request for Proposals and Application for nonroad equipment operating in Kansas. This is the third Clean Diesel opportunity that includes funding from the Kansas VW trust allocation and federal Clean Diesel funds for states. Application documents are available on the Kansas Clean Diesel webpage.
KDHE Announces the First Round of Funding for Projects
November 4, 2019: Fifteen awards for the partial reimbursement of eligible school bus replacements have been offered as of October 31, 2019. These districts were selected through a random number drawing from the application process offered in spring of 2018. This is the first Clean Diesel opportunity to include funding from the Kansas VW trust allocation and federal Clean Diesel funds for states. KDHE anticipated offering awards in the fall of 2018 but experienced delays and therefore held these awards meant to start at that time. KDHE and the school districts are in the process of finalizing awards. Awardees will be announced on the Kansas Clean Diesel Program webpage.
D-4 Documents From KDHE to Wilmington Trust
Reports to the Trust
Trust Allocations
The State of Kansas will receive nearly $15.6 million over the next ten years for projects that reduce NOx emissions. The Kansas Department Health and Environment will be the lead agency to act on behalf of the trust for the State of Kansas.
Anticipated Timeline
| Event | Anticipated Date |
|---|---|
| Court approved partial settlement, 2.0 liter engines | October 25, 2016 |
| Court approved partial settlement, 3.0 liter engines | December 20, 2016 |
| Trust effective date established | October 2, 2017 |
| Kansas was certified as a trust beneficiary | January 30, 2018 |
| Kansas submits plan overview to third-party trust | August 6, 2018 |
| First projects to be funded in Kansas | 2019 |
Final Plan Overview
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment offered a public comment period between June 1 and July 2, 2018. The final version the plan overview is linked in the following. The document is required by the third-party trust before KDHE can access the trust funds for planning and projects:
- Kansas Plan VW Environmental Mitigation Trust (PDF)
- Plan Overview Presentation (PDF)
- Please continue to direct all questions to the VW Settlement email address
- Join the listserv to receive general updates and funding opportunities
Eligible Mitigation Actions / Eligible Projects
There is a considerable list of eligible actions for government and non-government owned vehicles. Each category has model year, funding level and other restrictions. The Volkswagen Mitigation Plan Toolkit (PDF) provides details of eligible actions and maximum project amounts.
The following is the list of eligible projects from the settlement documents. Projects involving ferries/tugs and shorepower for ocean going vessels are not being considered in the Kansas plan:
- Class 8 Local Freight and Port Drayage Trucks - Engine repowers and vehicle replacements
- Class 4-8 School Bus, Shuttle Bus, or Transit Bus - Engine repowers and vehicle replacements
- Freight switchers (locomotives) - Engine repowers and vehicle replacements
- Improvements to Ferries and Tugs
- Shorepower for Ocean Going Vessels
- Class 4-7 Local Freight Trucks - Engine repowers and vehicle replacements
- Air Ground Support Equipment - Engine repowered or replaced with an all-electric engine
- Forklifts and Port Cargo Handling Equipment - Engine repowered or replaced with an all-electric engine
- Light Duty Zero Emission Vehicle Supply Equipment - Charging stations or hydrogen dispensing equipment
- Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) - State-level program expansion