Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Volkswagen announce funding for clean air projects

May 13, 2020. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the Indiana Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund Committee (Committee) announced Round 2 of the Indiana Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Program’s grant funding which will distribute awards ranging from $50,000 to $2 million. Total available funding for this round is $9.83 million.

Grant money will be awarded to clean air projects that significantly reduce diesel emissions across Indiana. Example projects include replacing older, higher emission diesel garbage trucks with newer, cleaner, compressed natural gas (CNG) powered vehicles or replacing old diesel school buses with new clean-diesel, alternative fuel or electric buses. Some of the Round 1 projects included replacing diesel-powered school buses with electric and propane-powered buses, diesel-powered transit buses with electric and CNG powered transit buses, diesel-powered refuse haulers with CNG powered refuse haulers, as well as one diesel-powered switcher locomotive being replaced with an electric-powered rail car mover.

Public and private entities may submit applications, and the Request for Proposals (RFP) deadline is May 31, 2020.