View Public Input on TCI-P

Lowering carbon emissions in the transportation sector is essential. I strongly support the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program and the proposed model rule. The prospect of being able, through this model rule, to have the cost of fuels include their pollution costs while generating needed income for alternative fuel infrastructure is a win-win. I strongly support this model rule as a way to accelerate our transition to a cleaner future.

I am writing in broad support of this model rule with a few specific recommendations for incorporation. Overall, TCI represents an important step for our commonwealth to be better regional stewards of our climate and receive financial benefits. Especially by adopting TCI and incorporating strong equity provisions, we can ensure that emissions are reduced and communities that are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis receive disproportionate health and financial benefits.

Specific recommendations:
Air quality monitoring commitments should be integrated into the Model Rule.
Each Participating Jurisdiction should establish air pollution reduction targets.
Establish an equity advisory board
TCI-P decision-makers must attribute the same weight and urgency to comments from
overburdened and underserved communities discussing impacts of TCI-P on those communities
as they do to comments regarding technical program design.

I believe that it is necessary for loss of the past so that we can reduce the carbon footprint that results from overuse of vehicles including tractor trailers. I think that Amazon is doing the right thing by creating more electric vehicles including tractor trailer electric vehicles in order to reduce the carbon footprint which is a result of using diesel fuel powered vehicles.

We support the TCI-P Rule giving more support to challenged and undeserved communities and to environmental safeguards.

I support a strong TCI-P Model Rule that (1) ensures meaningful climate action to address Virginia's largest driver of our climate crisis, (2) directs significant investments to correcting historic inequities in overburdened and underserved communities; and (3) affords Virginia the opportunity for a cleaner, healthier transportation system.

I also call for the TCI-P Model Rule to include (1) a minimum investment amount to ensure overburdened and underserved communities in Virginia receive a greater-then-proportional share of investments from the program, (2) integration of air quality commitments across Virginia, and (3) robust empowerment of Virginia's Equity Advisory Body.

We are at a crossroads in the climate crisis. One way ensures that the world will become a much more difficult place for our children and grandchildren to live in, if we continue spewing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. The other way gives us a chance to change the direction that our world is heading towards. How many creatures have to become extinct before we address greenhouse gases? How many ocean-front properties have to be sacrificed to rising seas? How will countries deal with millions of people migrating to neighboring countries that don't want them?

Time is quickly running out. We need to act NOW. We need to adopt the TCI-P Model Rule now to ensure durable, sustained, and necessary reductions in GHG pollution.

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” Dante Alighieri. We are at that moral crisis now. What will you do?

I call for the TCI-P Model Rule to include (1) a minimum investment amount to ensure overburdened and underserved communities in Virginia receive a greater-then-proportional share of investments from the program, (2) integration of air quality commitments across Virginia, and (3) robust empowerment of Virginia's Equity Advisory Body.

The proposed Transportation and Climate Initiative Program should be adopted immediately.

The TCI-P is an excellent initial plan for cutting vehicle emissions in Virginia (and surrounding states). It will promote an increase in electric vehicles and the needed charging infrastructure to support this revolutionary transformation of transportation.

This initiative, plus the complementary steps being taken by our federal government, will provide thousands of well-paying new jobs for Virginians, especially in front-line communities. Even more important: it will help save our endangered planet, so future generations can survive and thrive.

It is especially important to curtail or eliminate the use of highly polluting diesel fuel.

VAIPL calls for the TCI-P Model Rule to include (1) a minimum investment amount to ensure overburdened and underserved communities in Virginia receive a greater-then-proportional share of investments from the program, (2) integration of air quality commitments across Virginia, and (3) robust empowerment of Virginia's Equity Advisory Body."