Regional planner: Volkswagen settlement could benefit Cape Girardeau County government

Cape Girardeau County government could benefit from some of the estimated $41 million Missouri expects to receive as part of the nation�s settlement with automaker Volkswagen, a regional planning official said Thursday.

David Grimes of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission, based in Perryville, Missouri, told the Cape Girardeau County Commission the county government likely could qualify for funds to replace aging diesel engines on its road equipment and even replace county highway department dump trucks.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is heading up the state�s effort to determine how to allocate the settlement money, Grimes said.

�This is a big deal,� he told commissioners.

�If you have a diesel engine, it probably will be eligible,� he advised the commission.

Grimes said settlement funds could allow the county to replace aging diesel trucks. The goal of the program would be �to kill� polluting diesel engines by removing and disabling them, Grimes said.

It likely will be summer before Missouri will be in a position to dispense any settlement money, he told commissioners.

But he encouraged the commission to consider applying for funding.

The planning commission will aid counties in the application process, Grimes said.

�If you have diesel engines, you�ve got to think about what you can replace,� he said.

First District Associate Commissioner Paul Koeper, who oversees county road operations, expressed interest in the settlement program.

�Keep us informed,� he told Grimes.

In 2016, the United States settled complaints against Volkswagen, the DNR posted on its website.

The settlement resolved claims Volkswagen violated the federal Clean Air Act by selling about 590,000 vehicles with diesel engines that caused emission-control systems to perform differently during emissions testing to guarantee passing scores, the DNR said. The vehicles are from model years 2009 to 2016.

The settlement involves multiple agreements and requires Volkswagen to take certain actions, including paying $2.9 billion to a national environmental mitigation trust, DNR stated on its website.

DNR said the $41 million amount for Missouri is based on the sale of 7,500 Volkswagen vehicles in Missouri, according to September 2014 registration data from Missouri Department of Revenue.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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