Washington earns top grade for use of Volkswagen’s ‘Dieselgate’ settlement funds
Three years after "Dieselgate," Washington is scoring high on how it's utilizing funds from Volkswagen's nearly $3 billion settlement.
Three years after “Dieselgate,” Washington is scoring high on how it’s utilizing funds from Volkswagen’s nearly $3 billion settlement.
On May 23, WashPIRG released our national network’s Volkswagen Settlement Scorecard to rank all 50 states on how they’re spending that money. Washington and Hawaii were the only states to receive top marks after spending as much as the settlement allowed on electric vehicle charging infrastructure and electrified mass transit. Only 15 states earned a C or better, and 14 states and Puerto Rico received failing grades.
Washington’s performance earned praise from Gov. Jay Inslee. “WA received an A+ perfect grade because we’re using ALL of the $114 M we got to advance electric transportation. Call us competitive, but we like being top of the class,” he tweeted, along with a link to the report.
WashPIRG applauds Washington’s commitment to electric vehicles, and our 21st Century Transportation campaign is continuing its work to meet our changing transportation needs.
Photo Caption: WashPIRG State Director Elise Orlick speaks at an electric bus event in Washington. Credit: Ricky Osborne Photography