The Indiana Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund Committee recently approved its first round of funding from the national Volkswagen Mitigation Trust.
The funding, totaling more than $9.8 million, will be used for projects designed to reduce diesel emissions across Indiana.
A total of 179 vehicles or equipment were funded in 23 counties. Funds were approved in four groups:
- Electric school buses: Four awards will support the purchase of one all-electric school bus for each applicant for a total funding amount of $1.26 million.
- Non-electric school buses: Twelve awards will support the purchase of 18 newer diesel and 60 propane autogas buses for a total funding amount of $1.99 million.
- On-road vehicles: Fourteen awards will support the purchase of 47 newer diesel, 31 compressed natural gas (CNG) and five electric-powered vehicles for a total funding amount of $5.36 million.
- Non-road equipment: Four awards will support the purchase of four diesel-powered engines and 10 electric-powered pieces of equipment for a total funding amount of $1.23 million.
The Michigan City Sanitary District, for example, is receiving a $171,133 grant to help fund the purchase of three CNG dump trucks. The diesel refuse trucks currently used by the city are over 20 years old.
“The City of Michigan City and the sanitary district have made strong commitments to environmental protection, especially clean air,” comments Ron Meer, mayor of Michigan City.
Since Meer took office in 2012, the sanitary district has received more than $633,000 in grant funding for CNG vehicles and refueling.
Michael Kuss, general manager of the sanitary district, says, “The district currently operates 11 CNG-powered vehicles that reduce greenhouse-gas and other pollutant emissions by over 10,000 pounds per year.”
The following other fleets have received grants to go toward the cost of CNG vehicles: Walt’s Drive-A-Way Services, receiving $800,000 for 15 long-haul trucks; CityBus of the Greater Lafayette Public Transit, receiving $182,949 for five transit buses; the City of Hobart, receiving $107,244 for two short-haul trucks; Homewood Disposal Service, receiving $209,211 for three private refuse haulers; the City of Seymour, receiving $180,000 for two public refuse haulers; and the Muncie Sanitary District, receiving $34,200 for one public refuse hauler.
A full list of the grants can be found here.
Photo: Marduk [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
