Page 36: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2018)

Maritime to get Biggest Bang for

VW Settlement Bucks

With $2.9 billion available, Tug & Ferry engine upgrades are best bet for NOx Reductions

Marine engine overhauls at 40% to 75% cost savings? When it comes to ? nancing engine upgrades and replacements using other people’s money – this is as good as it will ever get. You’re going to want to apply early and probably in more than one state.

BY PATRICIA KEEFE

Imagine a settlement over falsifying cording to Joe Annotti, senior program consumed and the emissions pro? le of In the latter case, projects, whatever emission levels in another transportation manager with transportation consultants the engines currently in use. they may be, are 100% funded. That’s sector dropping money onto your deck. Gladstein, Neandross & Ass. (GNA). Annotti heads up GNA’s Funding 360 why, and how, Washington State is hop-

Who knew? But it’s true. The $2.9 bil- “This type of thing just doesn’t happen,” program, which has a free VW Funding ing to build, and pay for, three new all- lion settlement fund Volkswagen agreed he says, comparing it to the Energy De- Project Competitiveness Calculator, and electric state-run ferries. Of? cials there to capitalize for distribution across all 50 partment’s $300 million Clean Cities a subscription Portal, that provides ac- estimate that a single such ferry could states, tribal lands, and Puerto Rico, as a Program expressly for alternative energy cess to information about state-speci? c cut carbon dioxide emissions by 620 result of “dieselgate,” its criminal dodg- vehicle projects. “That’s 900 percent VW Funding programs. metric tons a year, the equivalent of tak- ing of required auto emission levels, smaller than the VW settlement.” Under the rules of the Volkswagen ing about 132 cars off the road. It also presents an unparalleled opportunity to From the state’s perspective, there is no Mitigation Trust Fund (see related story cuts fuel consumption 100 percent. maritime companies that want to move better use of the funds than to clean up Dieselgate 101.txt), tug, tow and ferry In the former case, owners of commer- their noxious diesel engines up a couple marine diesel engines, adds Annotti, cal- owners with qualifying NOx emissions cial vessels running on pre-Tier 3 diesel of EPA notches, and stick someone else culating that in terms of tonnage of NOx reduction projects can get the job done at engines can get back 40% of the cost of with close to half the bill or more. reduction for dollars spent, the cleaning a signi? cantly reduced cost, the extent to installing a new Tier 3 or Tier 4 diesel

The settlement is “unprecedented in up of marine diesel engines is the most which will depend on the engine upgrade or alternate fuel engine, or by installing its sheer scope of funds, geographic cost-effective by virtue of the number of option they choose, and whether the pa- an EPA-certi? ed remanufactured system reach and market-moving potential,” ac- hours they operate, the amount of fuel tient is privately or publically owned. or veri? ed engine upgrade, in this case

Show me the $ The Funding Clock is Ticking

The top 10 recipients of Volkswagen mitigation trust funds Where the water is, conveniently for marine projects, is where most of the VW settlement dollars can be found: $423 Million ................................................California $191.9 Million ...................................................Texas $152.3 Million .................................................Florida $117.4 Million .............................................New York $110.7 Million .......................................Pennsylvania $103.9 Million .........................................Washington $97.7 Million .....................................................Illinois $87.6 Million ...................................................Virginia $87.2 Million .......................................North Carolina $71.4 Million .......................................................Ohio 36 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • MARCH 2018

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