LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: LDEQ opens the application for VW Mitigation Trust Settlement projects

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality issued the following announcement on Feb. 19.

LDEQ is opening the second round of applications for projects and funding from theVolkswagen Mitigation Trust. Application submittal for project funding is available through the LDEQ’s VW webpage online application: https://deq.louisiana.gov/form/volkswagen-eligible-mitigation-action-projectapplication-state-beneficiary-louisiana. Apply by the deadline, April 12. If you have any questions concerning the application, please send them to vwsettlement@la.gov.

Louisiana is soliciting proposed projects for consideration by the LDEQ, the Department of Natural Resources (LDNR), and the Department of Transportation and Development (LDOTD). Proposed projects are reviewed (1) to determine qualification pursuant to Appendix D-2; and (2) in consideration of appropriate goals, priorities, costs and impacts from the projects.

The Volkswagen settlement was approved by a federal court in California on Oct. 25, 2016. VW is required to pay $2.9 billion into an environmental mitigation trust fund to be shared among the states and tribes. Louisiana will receive more than $19 million over three years. The money will be used to offset the excess air pollution caused by VW’s actions. This is the application for the second year funds.

There were three Louisiana state agencies designated to receive equal shares of the fund: LDEQ, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR) and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LDOTD). These agencies were tasked to allocate the VW Mitigation Trust funds. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) was designated the lead agency (beneficiary) by the Office of Gov. John Bel Edwards.

The agencies, with public input, are proposing to pool their funds to target replacement of eligible diesel school buses. The bus replacement program will offer partial funding primarily to school districts to replace their buses with electric, alternative fuel or high-efficiency diesel vehicles and for electric vehicle infrastructure.

For more information on the VW Settlement, go to https://deq.louisiana.gov/page/louisiana-volkswagenenvironmental-mitigation-trust.

Original source can be found here.