Illinois has revised how its remaining share of Volkswagen Settlement funding will be divided and has opted to invest the remaining $84.4 million on electric transportation and infrastructure.
The revised Beneficiary Mitigation Plan (BMP) to the Volkswagen Settlement Trustee was submitted in late April and will continue to focus funds in three priority areas most adversely impacted by the elevated nitrogen oxide emissions due to the number of subject VW diesel vehicles registered in these areas. These include the Chicago non-attainment area (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, and portions of Kendall and Grundy counties); the Metro-East non-attainment area (Madison and St. Clair counties) and Champaign, DeKalb, LaSalle, McLean, Peoria, Sangamon and Winnebago counties.
The state says its revised plan will replace old diesel engines with all-electric school buses, public transit, Class 4-8 local freight trucks and light-duty charging infrastructure. Of the remaining $84.4 million, up to 32 percent, or approximately $27 million, will be used for all-electric public transit buses and public passenger/commuter locomotives.
"Paired with our nation-leading Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and electric vehicle and charging incentives, our Volkswagen settlement funds will further hasten Illinois' transition to clean energy with a focus on accessible electric transit options," said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. "The settlement alone will deliver more than $106 million in EV upgrades and infrastructure expansions throughout the state."
In 2018, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) issued a report that found Illinois’ initial plan to spend the money failed to prioritize electric transportation, leaving open the possibility that the money would not be used to help address air pollution and global warming.
U.S. PIRG Environment Campaigns Director Matt Casale called the updated Illinois BMP “a u-turn toward a cleaner and healthier transportation system for the Prairie State.”
“Getting to school or commuting to work shouldn’t include a daily dose of toxic pollution or increase the chances that people will get sick. We look forward to seeing this $84 million used for more emissions-free school and transit buses, putting Illinois on the road to cleaner air and a healthier future,” said Casale.
