Where’s the VW Money Going?
Don’t expect a big check from VW to show up in your mailbox. Each state controls the funds allotted from the Environmental Mitigation Trust, and can choose how to spend the money within the guidelines of the settlement that were published on October 25.
The Trustee is a single, national entity responsible for holding the assets of the Trust (i.e. the $2.7 billion) and distributing those funds to beneficiaries. This will be a U.S.-based law firm specializing in the administration of consent decrees, nominated and designated by EPA and CARB. The Trustee has not been chosen yet.
The Beneficiary is the state-level government entity responsible for developing and awarding their state’s funds. The Beneficiaries in each state have also not yet been chosen, but they will have previous experience managing air quality and transportation grant programs (think state energy office or the body that administers DERA funds), and will be responsible for reporting to the Trustee on the use of funds.
The Trustee should be chosen by December 25, 2016, and the Beneficiaries by February 25, 2017.
The funding levels for each state were determined based on the amount of VW diesel vehicles deployed there. The chart below outlines how much each state will receive in funding, which can be spent over a 10-year period of time.
ROUSH CleanTech and Blue Bird are working on a clear and concise message to promote propane and CNG school bus programs to replace pre-emission (pre-2007) diesel buses, and there are already steps you can take.
