The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is announcing the availability of $35 million in Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust funding statewide for a variety of projects.
The funding is being offered statewide through a competitive solicitation and applications will be ranked on potential reductions of NOx emissions. All funded equipment and vehicles must operate in California. A complete listing of all eligibility and funding requirements are detailed in the program solicitation. At least 75 percent of the $35 million allocation is expected to benefit disadvantaged and low-income communities. A separate solicitation for this category offering an additional $35 million is tentatively scheduled to be released in mid-2022.
Applications are being accepted online at www.CaliforniaVWTrust.org and the application deadline is 1 p.m. PDT, Aug. 31, 2020.
The VW Environmental Mitigation Trust is a nationwide program that provides funding for states to fully mitigate the excess NOx emissions caused by VW’s use of illegal emissions testing defeat devices in VW diesel vehicles. In California, the Zero-Emission Freight and Marine, or ZEF&M, along with four other categories will provide VW Environmental Mitigation Trust funding to eligible projects. Among the categories and regional air quality agencies assigned to administer the funds statewide on behalf of the California Air Resources Board, CARB, include: Zero-emission transit, school and shuttle bus projects, administered statewide by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District; Zero-emission class 8 freight & port drayage trucks, administered statewide by South Coast Air Quality Management District; Light-duty zero-emission vehicle infrastructure (charging stations and hydrogen fueling stations), administered statewide by Bay Area Air Quality Management District; and Combustion freight and marine projects, administered statewide by South Coast Air Quality Management District.
The California Air Resources Board estimates that the funding will result in over 10,000 tons of NOx reductions over a 10-year period which will fully mitigate the NOx impacts caused by the VW defeat devices.
For more information on the VW Environmental Mitigation Trust and details on eligibility requirements for the ZEF&M category, visit www.californiavwtrust.org.
CARB is the lead agency in California for cleaning up the air and fighting climate change to attain and maintain health-based air quality standards. Its mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through the effective reduction of air and climate pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy.
