Last week, North Carolina applied for funding to invest in clean transportation solutions from the Volkswagen dieselgate settlement funds. With North Carolina’s application, all 50 states plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have applied for these funds one day ahead of the December 1 deadline.
In September 2015, Volkswagen admitted to installing software in certain diesel vehicles designed to bypass pollution control systems, resulting in dangerous emissions up to 40 times greater than allowed by law. In October of 2016, Volkswagen agreed to settle for its deceit by spending up to $14.7 billion to remediate the excess NOx emissions, which are a primary ingredient in smog. For states, $2.7 billion of this settlement money is going toward pollution reduction programs via the Environmental Mitigation Trust, meaning states can receive millions of dollars--some more than $100 million--toward clean transportation programs.
The Environmental Mitigation Trust funds provide states with the opportunity to decrease the impact that transportation has not only on smog levels but also on our climate. In total, the U.S. transportation sector—which includes cars, buses, trucks, planes, trains, ships, and freight—produces nearly thirty percent of all U.S. climate emissions, more than any other single sector. It is estimated that the worldwide impact of 11 million vehicles with installed cheat devices could be causing as much air pollution as 20 coal plants every year.
The funding from this settlement can be used to help electrify the transportation sector in every U.S. state and eliminate one of our biggest sources of pollution in the country. The funding can be used to increase electric vehicle infrastructure through the building of charging stations and for states to invest in zero emission transit buses, school buses, and port vehicles. The Sierra Club is urging for the funding to be prioritized in communities most exposed to vehicle air pollution and used on clean, electric transportation options rather than on dirty compressed natural gas, diesel, or propane vehicles.
In Idaho, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) produced a Draft Beneficiary Mitigation Plan, which will lay out the proposal for spending Idaho’s $17 million. The plan was posted on the DEQ's website by December 6th so the public can review it and provide feedback. Read our preliminary comments on the draft plan here!
Comments can be give in two ways. First, at a Public Meeting on Thursday, December 14th that will be hosted in Boise and open for telephone and web conference participation across the state. Second, written comments can be sent directly to the DEQ through their website.
Public Meeting hosted by Department of Environmental Quality
Thursday, December 14th
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
DEQ State Office
Conference Center
1410 N. Hilton Boise, ID
*telephone and web conference options statewide
If you are interested in learning more and providing comments in favor of clean transportation initiatives, please RSVP to our VW Plan Event and the Sierra Club will keep you up to date with our analysis of the mitigation plan and a guide for comment.