(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Transportation is accepting applications for funding from the national Volkswagen Settlement, Debra Arp leads the team that is handling the grant paperwork. “Volkswagen came into a settlement with the U-S Department of Justice and created this trust fund to do environmental mitigation resulting from their defeat devices that were in the vehicles that resulted in faulty emissions testing,” according to Arp.

She says there is nearly five million dollars in funding available to various organizations. She says it is available to private organizations, public transit system operators, city, counties and schools which own and operate diesel powered equipment are eligible to apply. Arp says the goal is to upgrade to make the vehicles cleaner.

She says the funds will replace the current diesel engines being used to improve the emissions in the vehicles or equipment. Arp says anyone in the categories she mentioned is encourage to apply. She says there is four-point-nine million dollars available, with three-point-one million dollars available for buses, around one million dollars for trucks and 700-thousand dollars for non-road and transport equipment.

You can learn more about the funding and how to apply at the program website: www.iowadot.gov/vwsettlement.