The Iowa Department of Transportation has awarded more than $1 million from the Volkswagen Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust program for 18 projects designed to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency alleged in 2016 that the automaker violated Clean Air Act standards with vehicles sold between 2009 and 2016 that were equipped with devices that were designed to perform differently during normal vehicle operation than during emission tests. According to a news release, that meant vehicles exceeded the EPA-allowed levels of nitrogen oxides during normal use. VW agreed to settle some of the allegations with the creation of the Environmental Mitigation Trust. Iowa will receive about $21 million over the next several years. The recent awards were the third funding cycle for projects from the mitigation fund. The largest recipient of funds was Equilon Enterprises-Shell Oil Products, which received six grants totaling $870,436 for projects in Missouri Valley, Davenport, Council Bluffs, Fort Madison, Muscatine and Burlington. Other recipients include Algona Municipal Utilities and the cities of Decorah, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City and Lansing, as well as Dyersville Economic Development Corp., Manning Municipal Utilities, Universal EV LLC in Ankeny, and Wartburg College in Waverly.