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Driving a Cleaner Illinois
Driving a Cleaner Illinois is the Illinois EPA’s grant program developed to distribute funding for various types of diesel emission reduction projects. The Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program receives funding from a variety of sources, including the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) Program, and Federal Highway Administration’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program.
When a Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is available for applicants, it is posted to this page in addition to Illinois' Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) website. Each NOFO will include the funding source and amounts, applicant and vehicle/equipment eligibility, and specific information on how and when to apply. More information about each funding source may be found below and on the respective webpages listed in the Links section below. Sign up for the Driving a Cleaner Illinois listserv to receive updates and notifications when a NOFO is available. Be advised that the Agency does not provide advance notice of the timing or types of projects of future grant announcements. If you wish to be notified of grant announcements, please sign up for the listserv below.
Current Notice of Funding Opportunities
| Documents | Application Deadline | Contact |
|---|---|---|
|
09/05/2023 |
Having Trouble Opening These Forms?
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If you would like a copy of the NOFO e-mailed to you, please email epa.vwgrants@illinois.gov.
Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program Funding Sources
Illinois EPA has a variety of funding sources for its Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program. These funding sources are summarized below. Please periodically check this site or sign up for the listserv for “Current Notice of Funding Opportunities” regarding open application periods for these funds and select project types.
Volkswagen (VW) Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund
The VW Environmental Mitigation Trust was established by Appendix D of the VW Settlement because of Clean Air Act violations relating to installation of “defeat devices” in certain Volkswagen diesel vehicles. Illinois’ initial allocation of funds was approximately $108 million. The funds are to be used for projects that reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in Illinois.
More information may be found on our VW Settlement webpage
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Funds
The purpose of the CMAQ program is to provide a funding source to state and local governments for transportation programs or projects that reduce congestion and improve air quality in areas that do not meet, or need to maintain compliance with, federal air quality standards. The Federal Highway Administration provides this funding to State Departments of Transportation. Through Intergovernmental Agreements, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) provides this funding to the Illinois EPA for ultimate granting to eligible applicants for eligible projects.
Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) Funds
The purpose of the DERA State Clean Diesel Grant Program is to enable participating states to support grant, rebate, and loan programs to achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions. Through this program, states enter into Cooperative Agreements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for administering their allocation of DERA funds for eligible project types. This funding is provided on a federal fiscal year basis.
Current Funding Availability for Driving a Cleaner Illinois
In accordance with GATA, Illinois EPA will provide a NOFO for open application periods for its Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program. Below are summaries of currently available funding along with links to the application materials.
Driving a Cleaner Illinois - Volkswagen
Up to $27,023,485 in Volkswagen funding is being made available for all-electric school buses in all three VW priority areas:
Illinois EPA is accepting applications to replace old, diesel school buses with new all-electric school buses. Applicants may find the NOFO and all application materials below and also at Illinois’ GATA webpage. Applicants must pre-qualify prior to application submission. For further information, see the GATA section below as well at the GATA webpage. Applications are due September 5, 2023. Applications should be signed, scanned and submitted to epa.vwgrants@illinois.gov by 5:00 pm CT September 5, 2023. Read all instructions as late, incomplete, or improperly submitted applications will be rejected without the opportunity to correct deficiencies.
Having Trouble Opening These Forms?
These forms must be opened using Acrobat Reader. If you click on one of these links and get a message that starts with "Please wait...", then your computer is trying to use the web browser rather than Acrobat Reader to open the file. In that case, do this:
- Right-click on the link and select "Save link as..." or "Save target as..." to save the file.
- Start Acrobat Reader.
- In Acrobat Reader's menu, select "File", then "Open" to open the saved file.
If you would like a copy of the NOFO e-mailed to you, please email epa.vwgrants@illinois.gov.
Driving a Cleaner Illinois - Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ)
Illinois EPA does not have a current Notice of Funding Opportunity open for Driving a Cleaner Illinois - CMAQ.
Driving a Cleaner Illinois - Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA)
Illinois EPA does not have a current Notice of Funding Opportunity open for Driving a Cleaner Illinois - DERA.
Webinars & Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions - DACI - VW Round 5
Frequently Asked Questions - DACI - VW Round 4
VW Round 3 - Funding Summary Sheet
Frequently Asked Questions - DACI - VW Round 3 - updated August 4, 2021
Round 3 GATA Budget Template with highlights.pdf
Driving a Cleaner Illinois - Round 2 Webinar - May 16, 2019
Recent Awards
| Applicant | Project | Amount | Funding Source |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Barrington Transportation Co., Inc. |
1 electric school bus and charging station |
$230,625 |
VW Round 3 |
|
Compass Transportation, LLC |
1 electric school bus and charging station |
$230,396.25 |
VW Round 3 |
|
Huntley Consolidated School District 158 |
4 electric school bus and charging station |
$1,042,611 |
VW Round 3 |
|
River Trails School District #26 |
1 electric school bus and charging station |
$288,215.25 |
VW Round 3 |
|
Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 |
2 electric school bus and charging station |
$570,348 |
VW Round 3 |
|
First Student – Lake Park High School District 108 |
1 electric school bus and charging station |
$213,150.75 |
VW Round 3 |
|
First Student- Schaumburg School District 54 |
1 electric school bus and charging station |
$213,150.75 |
VW Round 3 |
|
First Student-Township High School District 214 |
1 electric school bus and charging station |
$213,150.75 |
VW Round 3 |
|
First Student – Edwardsville Community Unit District 7 |
1 electric school bus and charging station |
$213,150.75 |
VW Round 3 |
|
First Student- Collinsville Community Unit School District 10 |
1 electric school bus and charging station |
$213,150.75 |
VW Round 3 |
|
Triad Community Unit School District 2 |
3 electric school bus and charging station |
$791,145.75 |
VW Round 3 |
|
Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 |
Sixty new direct-fired heaters for school buses. |
$299,392.74 |
CMAQ |
|
Triad Community Unit School District #2 |
Three all-electric school buses and the necessary charging infrastructure |
$650,000 |
VW Round 2 |
|
Ozinga Ready Mix Concrete, Inc. |
Ten new compressed natural gas concrete mixer trucks |
$607,838.65 |
DERA |
|
Pace Suburban Bus |
Six new compressed natural gas public transit buses |
$2,353,843.80 |
VW Round 1 |
|
Chicago Transit Authority |
Three new all-electric public transit buses |
$1,895,476.50 |
VW Round 1 |
|
Cook-Illinois Corp. |
Two new all-electric school buses and charging unit |
$474,146.25 |
VW Round 1 |
|
First Student, Inc. |
One new all-electric school bus and charging unit |
$241,108.50 |
VW Round 1 |
|
Metra |
Three passenger/commuter locomotives repowered with electric motors |
$14,000,000 |
VW Round 1 |
|
BP Pulse |
Gas Stations - Champaign, Forest View, Cicero, Carpentersville, West Chicago, Rosco |
$960,000 |
VW Round 4 |
|
ChargePoint |
Retail Stores - Naperville, Shiloh, Champaign Restaurants - Elgin, Hoffman Estates, Rockford |
$960,000 |
VW Round 4 |
|
Francis Energy |
Gas Stations/Restaurants - Beach Park, Troy, LeRoy |
$480,000 |
VW Round 4 |
|
GPM Midwest |
Gas Stations - Hartford, South Beloit, Springfield |
$480,000 |
VW Round 4 |
|
Kerry Farms |
Retail/Event Center - East Peoria, Winfield, Sauget |
$480,000 |
VW Round 4 |
|
Loves Travel Stops |
Truck Stops - Utica, Hamel, Hampshire, Williamsville, Channahon, Normal |
$960,000 |
VW Round 4 |
|
Pilot Travel Centers |
Truck Stops - Morris, Mascoutah, LaSalle, Monee, Troy, South Beloit |
$960,000 |
VW Round 4 |
|
Powered Dynamics |
Shopping Centers - Elgin, Glendale Heights, Belleville, Rockford, Aurora, Algonquin |
$960,000 |
VW Round 4 |
|
Road Ranger |
Gas Stations - South Beloit, Hampshire, Ottawa |
$480,000 |
VW Round 4 |
|
Universal EV |
Hotels - North Aurora (2), Columbia, Champaign (5), Palatine, Waterloo, Hoffman Estates (2), Granite City (2), Rockford (3), Bensenville (2), Pontoon Beach (2), Lombard, Collinsville (2), DeKalb (2), Alton, Bolingbrook, Fairview Heights (2), Naperville (2), Caseyville (2), Ottawa, Peoria, Libertyville (2), O'Fallon, Oakbrook Terrace, Springfield, Normal, McHenry, Bloomington |
$5,880,000 |
VW Round 4 |
Contacts
For Questions Regarding:
Driving a Cleaner Illinois - VW grants, please use this email address: epa.vwgrants@illinois.gov
Driving a Cleaner Illinois - CMAQ grants, please use this email address: epa.cmaqgrants@illinois.gov.
Driving a Cleaner Illinois - DERA grants, please use this email address: epa.deragrants@illinois.gov.
Listserv
Please enter your email into the following listserv form if you would like to receive future updates about the Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with a link that you will need to click to confirm addition of your name to the list.
Documents and Links
Illinois EPA's VW Settlement page
U.S. EPA’s Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) page
U.S. EPA's DERA State Program Information Guide
U.S. Department of Transportation CMAQ Program