DEPARTMENT: Office of Sustainability
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Douglas Melnick, Chief Sustainability Officer, AICP, CNU-A
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
SUBJECT:
A Request for authorization to apply for Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Funds
SUMMARY:
This Ordinance authorizes City departments to submit grant applications, and accept grant funds if awarded, to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for projects eligible through the Volkswagen (VW) Settlement Beneficiary Mitigation Plan.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the lead agency responsible for the administration of funds received from the settlement agreement in the litigation between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State of California, and Volkswagen (VW) and its related entities, for violation of the Federal Clean Air Act regarding nitrogen oxides emission controls on 2.0 liter and 3.0 liter diesel vehicles. The Volkswagen State Environmental Mitigation Trust (Trust) has allocated a minimum of $209 million dollars to Texas for projects to reduce nitrogen oxides in the environment. The San Antonio area, which includes Bexar, Wilson, Comal and Guadalupe counties, has an allocation amount of $61,585,516. The trust's share of project costs for governmental entities is 80%. TCEQ intends to make funds available through multiple grant application processes that will include a combination of first-come, first-served and competitive-selection opportunities. Grant opportunities are expected to be released later this year or in early 2019. San Antonio and Bexar County are in exceedance of federally mandated ground-level ozone standards and have until the end of 2020 to attain the standard or face stricter regulations. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are a precursor of ground-level ozone.
ISSUE:
This funding opportunity is for the purpose of reducing NOx emissions from combustion-engine vehicles that contribute to air pollut...
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