June 2025
The Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued a June 2025 Third Amendment to its VW Beneficiary Mitigation Plan (BMP).
The BMP is the Commonwealth’s vision for spending the $75 million in VW Settlement funds allocated to Massachusetts over an allowable 15-year timeline. The June 2025 BMP Amendment will fund projects that:
- Help the Commonwealth achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets and reduce air pollution in the transportation sector;
- Promote electrification of the state’s transportation network;
- Drive technological and policy progress in air pollution mitigation and GHG emissions reduction in the transportation network;
- Serve environmental justice populations; and,
- Promote equitable geographic distribution across the state.
The June 2025 BMP Amendment spending plan directs more than $20 million in investments to convert old, diesel MBTA buses to new, electric buses so that:
- Any unspent funds from prior Open Solicitations and RTA projects will be directed to MBTA electric transit buses;
- The net of any additional needed or excess unspent disbursement check costs will come from or be directed to MBTA electric transit buses; and
- Any investment earnings on the 85% of funds in the Trust not allocated to light duty charging stations will be allocated to MBTA electric transit buses.
The June 2025 BMP Amendment commits Massachusetts’ full $75 million VW Settlement allocation to:
- $48.8 million to support the purchase of electric transit buses and chargers by MBTA and Regional Transit Authorities;
- $11.3 million on the purchase and installation of light-duty electric vehicle charging infrastructure across Massachusetts;
- $7.5 million through the January 2019 VW Open Solicitation for proposals to implement projects eligible under the VW Settlement;
- $7.5 million through the July 2023 VW Open Solicitation for proposals to implement electrification projects eligible under the VW Settlement; and,
- $50,000 in administrative funds to disburse checks to grantees.
See Additional Resources below for the June 2025 Amendment, the April 2023 Amendment, the December 2019 Amendment, the December 2018 BMP, and related information.
March 2025
MassDEP submitted its eleventh semiannual report to the VW Settlement Trustee, describing the agency's progress in implementing projects and summarizing all of the costs it has expended.