History of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Volkswagen Diesel Mitigation Trust Fund(VW-DMTF): In 2016, the United States and California sued Volkswagen and associated companies, alleging that VW installed defeat devices on certain diesel vehicles (model years 2009-2016). These devices activated during emissions testing to make vehicles appear compliant with the law, when in fact, during on-road operation, the vehicles emitted nine to 40 times the allowable amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx), a harmful air pollutant. In the state of Ohio alone over 350 tons of excess NOx emitted.

As part of the settlement, the VW / EPA Diesel Mitigation Trust Fund was established to offer grants to cities/companies with the objective of converting diesel engines to all-electric. In 2020 The Port of Toledo was awarded $1.3M to convert a Tier-0 Diesel locomotive to all-electric engine.

My role: working with the directors of the Columbus, OH EPA office (C.Watkins & A. Aloudin) to draft a $1.3M proposal to convert a Tier-0 Diesel locomotive engine to all-electric. My responsibilities included: equipment research, on-site visits, interviewing diesel and electric engine mechanics, engineers and manufacturers, proposal and information design.