<p>A settlement between the federal government and Volkswagen will send $1 million in grants to the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and the Steamship Authority to buy electric buses.</p> <p>Part of $7.5 million in grants announced by the Baker administration just before Christmas, the two grants will provide $500,000 for the SSA to build a charging station and buy two electric shuttle buses servicing their Falmouth route. The high school grant of $500,000 will be used to buy two electric school buses.</p>
A settlement between the federal government and Volkswagen will send $1 million in grants to the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School and the Steamship Authority to buy electric buses.
Part of $7.5 million in grants announced by the Baker administration just before Christmas, the two grants will provide $500,000 for the SSA to build a charging station and buy two electric shuttle buses servicing their Falmouth route. The high school grant of $500,000 will be used to buy two electric school buses.
The funding became available as part of a $2.9 billion settlement between Volkswagen and the U.S. Department of Justice after the German-based car manufacturer admitted in 2015 it had skirted federal emissions standards.
Volkswagen has since been required to invest in an environmental mitigation trust to fund national and state projects aimed at offsetting excess emissions. Massachusetts is expected to receive more than $75 million to spend on environmental mitigation project grants, the Baker administration said in a press release.
Environmental justice areas, including communities with large numbers of minority, low income or low English proficiency populations were a stated priority for grants, Governor Baker said. Separately, the Vineyard Transit Authority will also receive a share of $11 million from the settlement to go toward the purchase of five new buses.
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So: why can't the VTA busses
jane chittick edgartownSo: why can't the VTA busses get charged wherever the MVRHS and SSA new busses get charged??
I suspect the reason may be
Mr. B ChilmarkI suspect the reason may be that you want to recharge the vehicles where they end their days and thus have many parked hours for recharging plus a location where their drivers pick them up to begin their routes. For instance, I would suspect that the SSA would want to charge--for the Falmouth route--at Palmer Avenue. If many of the school buses spend the night at the high school, then that's where you want to recharge them. VTA buses, probably at the airport business park. Perhaps the VTA would want to use the Park and Ride in VH and school buses for Tisbury could share that siting for evening recharges. But keep in mind that you will need parking at the same site for the drivers while they are at work.
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