State proposes plan for $112.7 million Volkswagen emissions settlement
Washington state is planning to use its $112.7 million share of a federal settlement with Volkswagen to improve air quality and “transform the transportation system,” according to a news release from the state Department of Ecology.
The plan would use the settlement to reduce air pollution from diesel vehicles and to increase access to infrastructure for electric vehicles.
“This settlement represents an opportunity to begin building a transportation system for the next 100 years in our state,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “By investing in zero-emission or near-zero-emission vehicles, vessels and infrastructure, we can dramatically reduce pollution, better protect the public, and slash carbon emissions in Washington.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of California negotiated a $14.7 billion nationwide settlement with Volkswagen for violating the federal Clean Air Act after the automaker was caught installing illegal software on vehicles allowing them to cheat on emissions tests.
The vehicles emitted up to 40 times the permitted levels of nitrogen oxides, a pollutant linked to asthma attacks and increased deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular disease, according to Ecology.
About 24,000 of affected vehicles were registered in Washington.
Under the proposed plan, Washington’s settlement funds would pay for installing electric vehicle charging stations and replacing diesel engines in buses, public vehicles and vessels with electric or cleaner diesel engines.
“By cheating emissions tests, Volkswagen exposed Washingtonians to more pollution and threatened their health,” Ecology Director Maia Bellon said in a release. “Using this settlement to right those wrongs and protect our communities in the future is the best investment we can make.”
The full plan is available online at ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/pdfs/FinalDraftVWMitigationPlan.pdf. A webinar on the plan is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 28. and a Facebook town hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 29. To comment on the plan, go to ac.ecology.commentinput.com/?ider7j6, or mail comments to Brett Rude, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA, 98504-7600.
Comments are due by 9 a.m. Dec. 19.
This story was originally published November 18, 2017 at 5:31 PM with the headline "State proposes plan for $112.7 million Volkswagen emissions settlement."