The Iowa Department of Transportation, today (Monday), awarded more than $3.9-million worth of funding for 46 Volkswagen Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust program projects. Among them was $105,796 for Casey’s General Store in Stuart, for a Direct Current (DC) Fast Charger Corridor project, with a total cost of $132,246.  (Additional details can be found here)

In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed a complaint alleging Volkswagen violated the Clean Air Act with the sale of motor vehicles between 2009 and 2016 equipped with “defeat devices” designed to perform differently during normal vehicle operation than during emissions tests. This meant that vehicles exceeded the EPA compliant levels of nitrogen oxides during normal use. Volkswagen agreed to settle some of the allegations with the creation of an Environmental Mitigation Trust (Trust) to fund strategies that will reduce the emission of nitrogen oxides. Iowa will receive approximately $21 million in Trust funds for mitigation projects which will be distributed through competitive application programs over the next several years.

Applications for the second funding cycle for categories 1, 2, and 3 were received in February from private organizations, public transit system operators, cities, counties, and schools that own and operate diesel fleets and equipment in Iowa for $4.9 million in funding available across the three eligible project categories. In addition, $1.1 million was available for the first funding cycle of Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Supply Equipment toward two types of electric vehicle charging sites.