Colorado will receive $61 million from the largest auto scandal settlement in U.S. history after a federal judge Tuesday approved the multi-billion dollar settlement against Volkswagen for its emissions cheating scandal.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will oversee distribution of the funds.
“We haven’t made any decisions yet on how the money will be spent," said Chris Colclasure, a CDPHE Air Pollution Control Division spokesman. "We have a public hearing scheduled on Nov. 7 where we will listen to people’s thoughts on how to best spend the money and how to maximize air quality benefits."
Colslasure says as much as 15 percent could be spent on support for charging stations for zero-emission electric cars.
Also as part of the settlement, as many as 9,000 Colorado owners of VWs and Audis with 2-liter, 4-cylinder diesel engines will be able to seek buybacks of their cars next starting Tuesday. They can also request their cars be modified. Both options will be handled directly with the automaker.
