SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), under the leadership of Governor Susana Martinez, is pleased to announce the Volkswagen Steering Committee has approved funding for seven projects in the first funding cycle of New Mexico’s Volkswagen Settlement Allocation. The selected projects will reduce nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions by 117.8 tons in urban, rural and Native communities in New Mexico.

The projects include: new school buses in the Gallup-McKinley and Albuquerque School Districts; a new Public Works Vehicle for San Juan County; electric ground support equipment and associated infrastructure for Southwest Airlines and the Albuquerque International Sunport; as well as compressed natural gas-powered refuse vehicles.  As a result of these projects, 113 vehicles in New Mexico will be replaced or repowered.

The projects will significantly reduce the release of harmful NOX from both on-road and off-road diesel-fueled vehicles and equipment. With $5.9 million from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, NMED will leverage more than $13.5 million in matching funding from project award partners to efficiently and cost-effectively reduce NOX emissions in New Mexico.

As part of stakeholder outreach, the NMED’s Air Quality Bureau hosted six public meetings around the state and received valuable feedback from the public throughout the development of the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan and application documents.  The NMED received 55 complete applications for projects totaling $24 million for the competitive funding cycle and expects disbursement of funds to begin in 2019.

For a complete listing of the 2018 Awards and Funding Requests, please go here.  Please subscribe to the VW Settlement and Updates via the above link for updates on when subsequent funding cycles will occur.