New London-Block Island
ferry service among clean-air grant recipients.
Block Island Express Inc., the New London-based ferry that provides seasonal, high-speed passenger service between the city and Block Island, has been chosen to receive a $971,720 grant to help offset the cost of installing new, cleaner-burning diesel engines in one of its vessels, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Wednesday.
In Hartford, the governor said the state is disbursing $12.2 million for 10 clean-air projects in the state, the money coming from Connecticut’s share of settlements the Volkswagen Corp. has agreed to pay in a federal civil enforcement case.
Volkswagen publicly admitted in 2015 that it secretly and deliberately had installed a “defeat device” — software designed to cheat emissions tests and deceive federal and state regulators — in nearly 600,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche diesel-powered vehicles sold to American consumers.
As a result of the settlements, Connecticut is expected to receive more than $55 million over a 10-year period to be used in offsetting the excess emissions caused by Volkswagen’s violations of the Clean Air Act.
The 10 projects announced Wednesday will be the first to benefit from the state’s share of the settlements. Recipients were chosen from among 56 applications received by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which is administering the Volkswagen Oxides of Nitrogen Mitigation Grant Program.
Under the program, grants are structured as reimbursements. Recipients will be required to demonstrate they’ve completed their projects, including paying for them, before receiving their grants.
According to state officials, Block Island Express will receive its award for the replacement of four diesel engines in one of its vessels, the Cecilia Ann, as well as the replacement of two auxiliary engines, or generators. The entire cost of the project is $2,429,300, of which Block Island Express ultimately will be responsible for nearly $1.5 million.
The grant represents 40 percent of the project’s cost.
“Climate change is real and cannot be ignored,” Malloy said in a statement. “It is vitally important that we set high standards for reducing emissions. While it will be impossible to offset all of the pollution resulting from Volkswagen’s illegal actions, the projects we are supporting through the settlement funds will go a long way in helping to improve air quality and protect public health in Connecticut while also providing significant economic development opportunities.”
In Connecticut, the transportation sector accounts for about 70 percent of smog-forming air pollution and 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, according to Rob Klee, the DEEP commissioner.
“The VW funding will help us realize additional nitrogen oxide and greenhouse gas emission reductions from mobile sources in Connecticut and move us closer towards meeting health-based air quality standards and long-term greenhouse gas reduction targets,” Klee said.
The biggest award in the first round of the state’s grants will go to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which will receive $4.9 million to help offset the cost of replacing 12 diesel transit buses with electric buses and the installation of associated charging infrastructure. DOT will be responsible for $10.2 million of the project costs.