GREENVILLE — Wayne County residents will soon benefit from nearly $120,000 in grant money thanks to fines paid by an international company for violating U.S. environmental standards.
It is the second county in this area to receive money from the Volkswagen Trust Government Truck Program, which is operated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Butler County expects to receive approximately $140,000.
The funds can pay for up to 50% of the cost to replace a dump truck. Both Wayne and Butler counties will receive two new trucks with the funds.
“The grant is based on (a settlement from) emission violations that Volkswagen was accused of and convicted of,” said Wayne County Presiding Commissioner Brian Polk. “To receive it, you have to actually disable a truck and take it off the road permanently.”
Wayne County will replace a 1998 truck used by its eastern district and a 1997 truck used by its western district.
One truck is expected to be delivered in October and the second at a later date, Polk said.
“We have some very old trucks that need replaced,” he said. “The grant was a very good opportunity for us.”
The grant money will pay for $69,300 toward the cost of one truck and $50,000 toward the cost of the second vehicle.
Ozark Foothills Planning Commission helped Wayne County apply for the funds and is a valuable resource, Polk said.
Butler County is purchasing two 2020 Mack Granite trucks with its funds, replacing vehicles that each have more than 350,000 miles. The new trucks are expected in the early fall and will replace 1996 trucks.
The State of Missouri is a beneficiary of The Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust. As the lead agency, DNR developed a 10-year Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for awarding over $41 million to Missouri-specific projects by October 2027.
The fund is a result of a settlement between the U.S. government and Volkswagen over allegations that VW violated the Clean Air Act by selling approximately 590,000 vehicles equipped with defective devices, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As a part of this settlement, VW has to provide $2.7 billion for the 2.0 liter violating vehicles and $225 million for the 3.0 liter violating vehicles to an Environmental Mitigation Trust.