FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 17, 2019

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us

DEP Publishes Volkswagen Settlement
Draft Beneficiary Mitigation Plan

~Today begins 30-day public comment period~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has published a draft Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for a public comment period of 30 days.
Florida’s draft Beneficiary Mitigation Plan fulfills the required elements listed in the Volkswagen Settlement’s Environmental Mitigation Trust for State Beneficiaries (Final Trust Agreement) and outlines how Florida will spend the $166 million allotted to the state. This money will go toward projects to mitigate the excess emissions caused by certain Volkswagen vehicles operating without the legally required emissions controls.

“Public input is an important part of our process,” said DEP Division of Air Resource Management Director Jeff Koerner. “The Department has made an effort to be transparent throughout the development of the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan. We have previously held public meetings and webinars, and sought public input through requests for information, a public survey, and now by requesting feedback on the draft Beneficiary Mitigation Plan. Through this commitment to public outreach, we look forward to finalizing the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan and identifying projects which will benefit Florida’s air quality.”

The primary goal of Florida’s mitigation plan is to reduce mobile sources of emissions in areas where people live, work and visit. To achieve this goal, Florida’s mitigation plan will prioritize projects that replace eligible units with electric-powered and/or alternative fueled units; identify the areas in Florida where the largest number of people are impacted by higher levels of emissions from diesel-powered vehicles and equipment; and identify mitigation projects that achieve the lowest cost per ton of pollutants reduced.

All public comments must be submitted via email to VWMitigation@FloridaDEP.gov by 5:00 p.m. EST, Friday, August 16, 2019. At that time, the Department will consider all public comments and then finalize the plan for submittal to the Trustee.
For more information about the Volkswagen Settlement, the Department’s activities related to the settlement, and the draft Beneficiary Mitigation Plan, please go to the Department’s dedicated webpage.

About the Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is the state’s principal environmental agency, created to protect, conserve and manage Florida’s environment and natural resources. The department enforces federal and state environmental laws, protects Florida’s air and water quality, cleans up pollution, regulates solid waste management, promotes pollution prevention and acquires environmentally sensitive lands for preservation. The agency also maintains a statewide system of parks, trails and aquatic preserves. Visit the department’s website at https://floridadep.gov/.

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