View Public Input on TCI-P

Please join the TCI-P. Aside from the overt climate advantages, this will stop the flow of money leaving Vermont's economy for the purchase of fossil fuels. We need to push toward more sustainable modes of transportation ASAP. Thank you!

The sooner we stop paying for fossil fuels to move ourselves around the state, the fewer dollars leave the state and less CO2 ends up in the atmosphere. It's a win-win for VT. Let's get on this! Let simultaneously incentivize individual homeowners and communities putting up solar to feed our local grid the power we'll need. Homegrown is the VT way!

Climate Economy Action Center of Addison County (CEAC) is developing a Climate Action Plan and reducing transportation-related emissions is a key element. We need the TCI-P to help us reach our goals.

As I read between the lines of the TCI-P proposal, its effect will be to raise the price of fuel at the service station. This would of course burden the low income public that may need transportation to make a living. How about a proposal that does not effect the price of fuel at the pump but does provide incentives for different mobility purchase choices?

A recent report noted that "....higher emissions from the market shift to larger, more powerful vehicles have swamped potential CO2 reductions from electric vehicles by a factor of five." Maybe it's time to tax fuel inefficient cars, upon purchase, for the price of lifetime CO2 generation above that of a fleet equivalent EV. Consider: with the social cost of CO2 at $50/ton, and each gallon of gasoline creating 20 lbs of CO2, the social cost of CO2 is about 1$/gal. An EV with a 100 mpge rating would thus create a CO2 social cost of $2000 over a lifetime of 200,000 miles. A vehicle getting only 25 mpg would create a social cost of $8000, $6000 more the the EV. That would be the tax upon purchase. Inclusion of this real cost to the environment might motivate purchasers of new cars to consider buying an EV over a gas guzzler. Revenue raised could be used to offset EV purchases. Low income people don’t typically buy new cars and would thus not be burdened by this extra cost upon purchase of a used car that has already paid the CO2 charge. For cars driven in VT but purchased outside the State, an age proportional charge would be asessed.

I believe clean, equitable transportation is a necessity for Vermont. There are many areas without regular public transportation which would allow people to commute to employment and also allow elders and others who do not drive to visit and shop outside their neighborhoods.
thank you for putting time into this endeavor. Catherine Cooke

As a senior who currently cannot afford to purchase and maintain a vehicle, I support the TCI-P. Public transportation needs to be ubiquitous, affordable, and accessible to all Vermonters, especially seniors and low-income folks. Public transportation can be electric; not everyone can afford to purchase an electric vehicle, so this will help the environment. It provides a way for people to get to jobs not located in their immediate environs, and connects communities, encouraging shopping, visiting family and friends, and attendance at events that currently require a vehicle to reach. Public transportation also needs to be advertised and encouraged, so Vermonters know it is available and affordable.

Hi,

I am in support of TCI-P and hope that Gov. Scott joins. His lack of support for climate initiatives is why I didn't vote for him in the last election and I will vote for his opponent in the next election if he misses opportunity. My main concern is how to reimburse Vermonters who live in rural areas and can't switch to electric vehicles for a variety of reasons.

Thank you for your efforts to change policy so that we can try to protect our climate and our futures!

Thanks,
Heather

This effort is bad policy for Virginia to adopt. It penalizes those who communte long distance and offers no benefits to either the state's road systems. Studies indicate this regressive form of taxation will not have the desired effects on the enviornment, actually providing negligible benefits while disprapotionately imposing higher commuting costs on low and middle income families.