Volkswagen Settlement:
Training Materials
July 1, 2021 Webinar: ITEP’s VW Technical Assistance Program presented a webinar on July 1st, 2021, to walk Beneficiaries of the VW Tribal Trust through the steps involved in applying for and using their allocated funds in the fourth funding cycle. Topics covered included a reminder of key dates in the funding cycle, how to put together a project, how to complete the required paperwork (including the Appendix D-4 and associated documents), and ways that ITEP can assist Tribes after the webinar.
View a recording of the July 1 presentation, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
June 3, 2021 Webinar: ITEP VW Technical Assistance Program staff presented a webinar aimed at new beneficiaries of the VW Tribal Trust (or new staff of returning beneficiaries), to assist them in preparing and submitting the "Designated Beneficiary's Participation Notice (Appendix D-6), as well as the security documents required by the Trustee for the program. The Appendix D-6 document must be submitted to the Trustee by June 16th for all Tribes that want to participate in the program this year, and the security documents must be submitted before Tribes can receive their funding.
View a recording of the June 3 presentation, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
February 24, 2021 Webinar: ITEP’s VW Technical Assistance Program presented a webinar on February 24th, 2021 entitled “How to Become a Beneficiary Q&A.” Presenters walked through the two forms required for Tribes to become certified as Beneficiaries of the VW Settlement and pursue funding from the program, discussed where and how the two forms need to be submitted, and answered questions from participants about these and other aspects of the VW Tribal Trust.
View a recording of the February 24 presentation, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
January 27, 2021 Webinar: ITEP's VW Technical Assistance Program presented a webinar for prospective beneficiaries of the VW Settlement entitled “ITEP VW Settlement Technical Assistance Program’s Fourth Funding Cycle Informational Webinar for Tribes.” Background information on the VW diesel emissions cheating scandal and the resulting settlement was provided, along with a review of the forms that need to be submitted to become a beneficiary and participate in the fourth funding cycle.
View a recording of the January 27 presentation, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
July 1, 2020 Webinar: ITEP’s VW Technical Assistance Program presented a webinar on July 1st, 2020, to walk Beneficiaries of the VW Tribal Trust through the steps involved in applying for and using their allocated funds in the third funding cycle. Topics covered included a reminder of key dates in the funding cycle, how to put together a project, how to complete the required paperwork (including the Appendix D-4 and associated documents), and ways that ITEP can assist Tribes after the webinar.
View a recording of the July 1 presentation, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
June 3, 2020 Webinar: ITEP’s VW Technical Assistance Program staff presented a webinar aimed at new beneficiaries of the VW Tribal Trust (or new staff of returning beneficiaries), to assist them in preparing and submitting the "Designated Beneficiary's Participation Notice (Appendix D-6), and in determining what types of projects they have that may be eligible for funding under the Tribal Trust. ITEP recommends that beneficiaries ensure they have at least one eligible project before they submit the Appendix D-6 document by the June 15th deadline.
View a recording of the June 3 presentation, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
February 20, 2020 Webinar: ITEP’s VW Technical Assistance Program presented a webinar on February 20th, 2020 entitled “How to Become a Beneficiary Q&A Encore.” Presenters walked through the two forms required for Tribes to become certified as Beneficiaries of the VW Settlement and pursue funding from the program, discussed where and how the two forms need to be submitted, and answered questions from participants about these and other aspects of the VW Tribal Trust.
View a recording of the February 20 presentation, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
January 22, 2020 Webinar: ITEP’s VW Technical Assistance Program presented a webinar on January 22nd, 2020 entitled “ITEP VW Settlement Technical Assistance Program’s Third Funding Cycle Informational Webinar for Tribes.” The webinar presented a general overview of the settlement and Trust Agreement, and detailed the initial steps required for Tribes to participate in the third funding cycle of the VW Environmental Mitigation Trust Agreement for Indian Tribe Beneficiaries, including what types of vehicles & equipment are eligible for funding under the program, how to establish a relationship with the Trustee, and how to become certified as a beneficiary.
Download the PDF presentation
View the webinar recording
October 3, 2019 Alternative Fuels Presentation: The Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities group gave a presentation on Alternative Fuels Solutions to the National Tribal Air Association’s Mobile Sources Working Group at their October 3rd meeting. The presentation goes through the various alternative fuels currently available and describes what types of vehicles & equipment can run on each, along with the pros and cons of each option. The presenters emphasize ways in which alternative fuel vehicles can provide environmental and performance benefits for vehicle fleets, while often reducing maintenance needs and operating costs. This presentation can be a useful resource for Tribes considering purchasing alternative-fuel vehicles with their VW Settlement funds.
View a recording of the October 3 presentation, including questions from participants and answers from the Clean Cities team.
July 10, and July 16 2019 Webinars: ITEP’s VW Technical Assistance Program presented a webinar on July 10th, 2019, to walk Beneficiaries of the VW Tribal Trust through the steps involved in applying for and using their allocated funds in the second funding cycle. Topics covered involved a reminder of key dates in the funding cycle, how to put together a project, how to complete the required paperwork (including the Appendix D-4 and associated documents), and ways that ITEP can assist Tribes after the webinar. Although the material presented was the same in the July 16th encore of the webinar, participants asked a number of different questions than those in the July 10th presentation, so we’re including recordings of both below.
View a recording of the July 10 webinar, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
View a recording of the July 16 webinar, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
June 12, 2019 Webinar: ITEP’s VW Technical Assistance Program presented a webinar on June 12th, 2019, to assist Tribal Beneficiaries of the VW Tribal Trust in meeting upcoming deadlines for the second funding cycle. Topics covered included an overview of the timeline for the second funding cycle, the Appendix D-6 document that’s due June 17th, an update on Tribal DERA grants, types of projects eligible for funding under the VW program, and the next steps in the process.
View a recording of the webinar, including questions from participants and answers from the ITEP team
January 23, and January 30 2019 Webinars: ITEP’s VW Technical Assistance Program presented a webinar on January 23rd, 2019, with a repeat presentation on January 30th, entitled “VW Environmental Mitigation Trust Agreement: Second Funding Cycle Information.” The webinar presented a general overview of the settlement and Trust Agreement, and detailed the initial steps required for Tribes to participate in the second funding cycle of the VW Environmental Mitigation Trust Agreement for Indian Tribe Beneficiaries, including what types of vehicles & equipment are eligible for funding under the program, how to establish a relationship with the Trustee, and how to become certified as a beneficiary.
Download the PDF presentation
View the webinar recording
May 14, 2018 Training Sessions at the National Tribal Forum on Air Quality: At the 2018 NTFAQ conference, ITEP held a day-long training session to introduce and explain the VW Tribal Trust. Although the Trust Agreement has been modified since this session, several of the presentations are still relevant to the Modified Trust Agreement, and may be useful to Tribes looking for more information on the program. See descriptions of each presentation below, and click on the links to view the videos.
The Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) Option Explained: Lucita Valiere of the EPA’s Tribal DERA program describes the VW-DERA option, in which Tribes use their VW allocation as a voluntary match towards a DERA application. This allows them to use VW funding for vehicles and equipment not otherwise eligible under the VW Tribal Trust, such as diesel generators and non-road heavy equipment. Click here for the video.
Update on VW Settlement Court Order Stay: Gina Allery of the U.S. Department of Justice presents information on the modifications made to the Trust Agreement in 2018. The presentation provides lots of good background information on how and why the Trust Agreement was modified, and a detailed explanation of how the allocation formula is used to determine how much money each Tribe will receive under the Modified Trust Agreement. Click here for the video.
State of Minnesota’s Perspective on the VW Settlement: Mike Nelson of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency presents information on how the state decided to use their VW Settlement money. If you are interested in the state programs, this presentation provides a great overview of how they work. Note that Minnesota is one of the states that has chosen to share its VW funds with Tribes, so Tribes in that state can apply for both tribal and state VW funds. Click here for the video.
Panel Discussion: Tribal Feedback About First Round of Funding: Dave Messier of the Tanana Chiefs Council and Joe Cebe of the Forest County Potawatomi present their experiences with the first funding cycle of the Tribal Trust, and answer questions from other tribal representatives in the audience about how it worked for them. Click here for the video.