TN
Department of
Environment &
Conservation
October 1, 2025
Steven George
Hickman County School System
115 Murphree Ave., Centerville, TN 37033
steven.george@hickmank12.org
RE:
Notification of Award --State of Tennessee Volkswagen Diesel Settlement
Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Settlement EMT) Medium- and Heavy-Duty
Vehicle Grant Program
Dear Mr. George:
Thank you for submitting an application in response to the State of Tennessee VW Settlement EMT
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Grant Programs solicitation. The Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has completed its evaluation of all applications received. We
are pleased to inform you that the Hickman County School System has been selected to move
forward with grant contract negotiations.
Specifically, TDEC will provide up to $223,483.50 for the replacement of the following (3) vehicles
with propane vehicles proposed within the grant application:
VIN: 4DRBUSKN49A135048, School Bus
VIN: 4DRBUAFN58B530126, School Bus
VIN: 4UZAAXDC67CX24858, School Bus
At this time, please do not publicize or share your organization's receipt of this award
notification until TDEC has made a corresponding public funding announcement. Such an
announcement will occur following the execution of the Grant Contract. We will notify you when
you have permission to publicize your award.
Over the course of the next several weeks, you will receive a draft Grant Contract(s) and a Grant
Program Manual, which will outline the terms and conditions of your award and include detailed
information on reporting requirements, financial reimbursement / invoicing procedures, and project
monitoring. Once the Grant Contract has been approved by TDEC Contracts and executed by the
State and the Grantee, it will be routed for additional approvals by the State Central Procurement
Office, Department of Finance & Administration, and the State Comptroller's Office. You will receive
a copy of the final, executed Grant Contract for your records after the additional approvals have
been obtained. Please note that this notification of award does not constitute a Grant
Contract agreement with the State.
Please keep in mind the following regarding this award:
1. TDEC cannot reimburse expenditures that are incurred prior to the begin date of your
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
Davy Crockett Tower
Ninth Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Tel: 615-772-6011 tdec.oep@tn.gov tn.gov/environment/energy
TN
Department of
Environment &
Conservation
Grant Contract. Once the Grant Contract begins, the Grantee may request State approval
for procuring vehicles or equipment, including applicable charging infrastructure. Further
details on the procurement process will be provided in the upcoming Grant Program
Manual. Until you receive procurement approval from TDEC under an active Grant
Contract, do not submit any purchase orders, complete any vehicle purchases, and/or
take delivery of any vehicles you intend to pay for with funds from this award.
2. All eligible Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles to be replaced under this program must be
Scrapped within ninety (90) days of new vehicle delivery. "Scrapped" shall mean to render
inoperable and available for recycle, and, at a minimum, to specifically cut a 3-inch hole in
the engine block and to disable the chassis by cutting the vehicle's frame rails completely in
half. Failure to provide the required photographic proof and documentation of vehicle
scrappage may impact the State's ability to provide reimbursement for the project. As
such, do not move forward with vehicle and engine scrappage until you receive
guidance on the process in the forthcoming Grant Program Manual; this resource will
include explicit instructions and templates to help you capture all proof of scrappage
documentation required for this award.
3. Additional Title VI Nondiscrimination requirements must be met by your organization
now that you have been selected to receive funding from the State. First, grantees must
complete the TDEC Subrecipient Title VI training (https://tdec.tn.gov/title6/index.html) and
provide TDEC with a copy of the certificate of training completion no later than 30 days after
the draft Grant Contract has been submitted to TDEC Contracts for approval. Second,
grantees must also complete and submit to TDEC a completed Title VI Training Certification
form no later than 30 days after the draft Grant Contract has been submitted to TDEC
Contracts for approval. Further guidance on this process will be sent to you shortly.
4. TDEC will schedule a mandatory grant program compliance webinar within the next
few weeks. At least one representative from your staff's project team must attend the
webinar, which will include information on the considerations noted above, the information
contained within the Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Grant Program Manual, and other
project requirements. Additional information on this compliance webinar will be sent to you
shortly.
Again, congratulations! We are pleased to support your commitment to integrate newer, cleaner
vehicles into your fleet. If you have any questions, please contact me at 615-772-6011 or
Mark.Finlay@tn.gov.
Sincerely,
Mark Finlay, Senior Energy Analyst
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
TDEC Office of Energy Programs
Davy Crockett Tower
Ninth Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Tel: 615-772-6011
tdec.oep@tn.gov
tn.gov/environment/energy