State grant through emissions settlement helps Tilton replace aging dump truck

TILTON — After getting plenty of use out of the 1999 diesel dump truck, the town will be getting a brand new, fully-equipped upgrade thanks to a Clean Diesel Grant available through a settlement involving an emissions violation by Volkswagen.

According to Town Administrator Scott Hilliard, the town will receive a 2025 Peterbilt F-700 with an estimated delivery date of March 1, and ready to use by April 1. The total cost of the truck is $271,600, but the grant will cover 80% of that, or $229,600.

The funding is part of the Clean Diesel Program, which allocates resources from the state Department of Environmental Services from the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust. It was approved by the Executive Council on Dec. 17.

The town has a Capital Improvements Plan, and the public works department has a schedule of trucks slated for replacement. Each year the town puts between $60,000 and $80,000 into the budget to be set aside for capital improvements, to replace equipment like tractors and dump trucks.

“This really helps us with the 10-year plan,” Hilliard said.

While Hilliard said the town has been throwing money into the existing truck to keep it running, he was pleased it has been able to serve the town as long as it has. Part of this was due to Public Works Director Kevin Duvall being a skilled mechanic, he said.

“It has been relatively reliable, but we have had great preventative maintenance,” Hilliard said. “This will be a good upgrade, especially in the winter months, where it gets all kind of use.”

The new truck will be equipped with a new wing, a front plow, and a sander already installed and included in the total price.

Hilliard said a 3-inch hole will need to be drilled into the engine block of the 1999 International dump truck the Public Works Department currently uses, cutting the frame of the body in half to show it is not usable.

“It has to be completely disabled,” Hilliard said. “Then they inspect it, and we can scrap it.”

Hilliard said the town will be able to keep the money from the scrap, and expects it to give maybe a couple thousand dollars back to the town. The existing unit will be scrapped within 90 days of the replacement.

The older model was not nearly as fuel efficient, and had higher emissions than the Peterbilt truck the town is receiving. This means it is not only more environmentally-friendly, but better for the public works budget for fuel costs.

Hilliard explained town leaders applied for the grant in September, as part of the Clean Diesel Program run by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. According to the DES website, the grant program is a competitive reimbursement program created to reduce diesel emissions across the Granite State. It is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, and managed by the Technical Services Bureau.

He said the money comes from the state “by virtue” of a lawsuit involving Volkswagen.

“They agreed to a settlement after an emissions violation years back, and as part of that, VW would pay each state ‘X’ amount of dollars,” Hilliard said. “The state has put that money to good use.”

In 2016, the federal government filed a complaint against Volkswagen due to allegedly violating the Clean Air Act, stating about 580,000 diesel vehicles from 2009 to 2016 built by Volkswagen Group of America Inc., Volkswagen AG, Volkswagen Audi AG, Porsche AG, and Porsche Cars North America, contained software designed to cheat emissions tests, according to the DES website.

The following year, the Department of Justice and Volkswagen signed a $15 billion settlement, with $2.9 billion held in the mitigation trust to be shared, with NH allocated $30,914,841.

Hilliard praised DES staff for being so helpful and keeping him in the loop from the start, saying oftentimes with grants, applicants and recipients can just be a number.

“They answered all the questions we had,” Hilliard said. “I think it is a great program.”

The state distributed seven grant awards to communities, and Tilton was notified they were receiving funds on Dec. 1. Hilliard was told it would then go to the Governor and Executive Council on Dec. 17, and he attended the meeting. Hilliard said he spoke to Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Councilor Joe Kenney (District 1), who he said were very supportive.

“I just spoke on the issue that it helps soften the impact of taxation to the municipalities,” Hilliard said. “In this case, out of something bad, comes something good.”