Transit Capital Assistance Funds Announced for Wisconsin Communities

Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld announced that applications are now being accepted for the Transit Capital Assistance Grant Program to fund the replacement of eligible public transit buses under the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust.

Judicial settlements require Volkswagen to pay more than $2.9 billion into an Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund, for violating the federal Clean Air Act by selling diesel engine vehicles that utilized software designed to cheat on federal emissions tests by reporting inaccurate data on nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions. The State of Wisconsin is a designated beneficiary and has been allocated $67.1 million in total to offset the excess pollution emitted by affected Volkswagen vehicles.

2017 Wisconsin Act 59 established the Transit Capital Assistance Grant Program. The grant program funds the replacement and scrapping of 4 to 8 public transit buses in the 1992-2009 engine model year class with new clean diesel or alternate fueled buses, including battery electric. The program gives preference to communities or routes that DOA determines are critical for connecting employees with employers. In the first and second rounds of grants, DOA competitively awarded over $49 million of Volkswagen Trust funds to 11 communities for the replacement of 92 eligible public transit buses. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.