Current:
Archived Beneficiary Mitigation Plan Draft Framework
Indiana’s Beneficiary Mitigation Plan Draft Framework - Comments Requested: Submission Deadline is March 31, 2018
Indiana’s Beneficiary Mitigation Plan will be based on clean diesel projects that can produce the greatest air quality benefit in terms of diesel emission reductions, with a particular focus on NOx emission reductions. Indiana also seeks innovative projects that will have lasting impacts on not only Indiana’s air quality, but its infrastructure and economy as well. The diesel emission reductions achieved through the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan should reduce public exposure to the pollutants in diesel exhaust and promote clean vehicle technologies. Indiana initially expects to include all ten eligible categories of mitigation actions (listed above) in the Indiana Beneficiary Mitigation Plan and is seeking public comments on the relative percentages of available funds to be allocated to each category.
Under the terms of the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust, Indiana may have up to approximately $13.6 million in grant funds available in each of the first three years of the program (2018, 2019, and 2020 presumably). If these funds are not fully expended in the first three years, the VW consent decree does allow for an additional seven years to fully expend any remaining funds. One important factor in funding will be an attempt to direct funding to areas that bear a disproportionate share of the increased pollution burden. This could include densely-populated areas and communities adjacent to rail yards, shipping terminals, and distribution centers where diesel emissions are concentrated.
