TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

It is imperative that we adopt TCI. Because of the way that Vermont acquires fuel from surrounding states which will be increasing the cost of Vermont's fuel. It is best to join TCI and receive the monetary benefits of the program to allow Vermont to invest in new programs that will further reduce our carbon footprint.

As the most rural state, we know that it will be difficult for most Mainers to drive less or switch to electric vehicles. For one, there’s no large used-electric-vehicle market.
We also know that people who rent their homes/apartments, as well as those on a fixed income, likely do not have the ability or the money to install equipment to charge electric vehicles overnight at home. This makes finding a place to charge their vehicle a daily burden, not just an occasional inconvenience.
Fully electric cars might be fine for quick trips around the city for people who can afford to install a charger in their home, but they are not ready for longer commutes in the cold on rural roads where fast chargers are not readily available.
The biggest challenge for is the winter. Batteries lose charge faster in our colder weather.
A recent Wall Street Journal video featured the many challenges of driving electric vehicles In her road-test from Detroit to the Canadian border, a Michigan reporter’s usual 10-hour round-trip TOOK 30 HOURS IN 25 DEGREE WEATHER.
She spent 19 HOURS CHARGING HER CAR on a trip about the same distance as Brunswick to Presque Isle and back. The cold not only drained the battery faster but also slowed recharging. Janet Mills is a Marxist POS and this gas tax is just a stupid idea as she is! She's a one term gov. at best! We are now seeking her removal through the off of the President of the Undited States!

In May of 2018 the price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.90. That year the economy grew by 3%. The stock market was booming and the great Recession was in the rear view mirror of most Americans.

It is now 2020 (an election year) and Phil Scott is reluctant to address climate change solutions. As he recently stated he was, “not looking to come out with something dramatic.”

According to VT. Digger, “Some Republicans have raised concerns about the 12-state Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), and called its system of fuel pricing a ‘carbon tax.’ Under the agreement, which would include Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, fuel prices could rise by as much as 17 cents per gallon.”

The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) describes itself as a bi-partisan, “regional collaboration of 12 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia that seeks to improve transportation, develop the clean energy economy and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. The participating states are: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.”

With all due respect Mr. Scott I’d be more than happy to pay $3 a gallon for gasoline if I knew that extra revenue was addressing long-term commitment to climate change initiatives. I suspect that many of the 76% of Vermonters who support real action on this vital issue might also be willing to tolerate this increase.

It wasn’t until gasoline went over $4 a gallon Vermont in 2011 that myself and many of my neighbors started changing our habits and to car pool and find alternatives to our gas guzzling ways. Good governance, in this instance, is about applying force on the market to encourage consumers to take climate change as the primary issue it is. What good is an affordable Vermont in a world that burns?

Vermont should be leading these 12 states not putting the brakes on real change and action.

I direct a program at the George Mason Center for Climate Change Communication called the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health which brings together medical societies and public health organizations. We organize (conevene), empower (educate), and amplify (share) the voices of physicians and other health professionals to inform the public and policymakers about the health harms of climate change and the health benefits of climate solutions. The associated medical societies represent over half the doctors in the U.S. and the public health organizations represent millions of public health professionals. We posted recently what many of our organizations view as vital policy actions to help protect us from the many adverse health impacts associated with climate change and stop further deterioration of our life sustaining atmosphere and climate. We make clear that climate change has become a health emergency. This may be found at climatehealthaction.org
Transportation is now the largest sources of greenhouse gases, contributing the most gases that trap heat to the atmosphere. Since
transportation is vital infrastructure for a vibrant economy, a system that is safe for the public, and addresses connectivity in the healthiest way possible is essential. Without great connectivity, the economy cannot include new employees or grow further into new areas. Virginia residents depend on a growing vibrant economy and thus need a transportation infrastructure for the 21st century. Virginians also need a system that does not make people sick due to the pollution that currently accompanies travel by truck, automobile, diesel bus, and ocean shipping. Right now, too many people are exposed to pollutants that place them at risk for lung problems, heart conditions, premature deliveries (if they are pregnant), or poor lung development (if they are children). Participation in a regional transportation plan can lower pollution while linking Virginia to other states in a collaborative way.
As a commuter I know how important it is to have efficient and low polluting forms of travel. As a doctor I know how easily the ozone level rises on warm to hot days when people sit in cars on the highway or walk around near major roadways, placing themselves at risk for deterioration of their lung conditions. People with asthma, lung, and heart conditions are all potentially affected, and can end up sick and unable to work or presenting to hospital emergency rooms. Children are at risk because their lungs are still developing. Pregnant women are at risk because exposure is associated with premature labor. This is a drain on individual health, community health, and the economy.
Education of children is another vital element that strengthens our economic infrastructure. Too many children are exposed to diesel fumes while they travel on their school buses. I would hope that this issue would be addressed also through participation in a transportation plan that addresses health because it addresses transportation and is designed in collaboration with other states.

The TCI makes a lot of sense for Vermont and we need to get this through the state house as soon as possible in order to meet the 2020 deadline and put it into effect in 2022. Time is of the essence. The TCI is equitable and will take into consideration the frontlines communities in Vermont. It is fair to the fossil fuel companies who will transition to a Cap and Invest program gradually. It allows Vermont to be part of a regional initiative with other NE states and by doing so, will receive monies to help those who most need it. I say "yes" to the TCI.

Maryland should make a make a firm commitment to adopt a regional transportation policy that achieves a minimum 40 percent reduction in transportation sector climate pollution by 2030, to keep us on track to meet the climate goals updated by the General Assembly in 2016.
Investment and policy decisions should be made based on pollution reduction and equity goals, as well as robust engagement opportunities from the public‒particularly those most overburdened by transportation pollution and undeserved by our current transportation system. Maryland can lead the way and be an example for other states. Please make good decisions on our behalf to help fight climate change.
Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.

I urge that Vermont participate in the Transportation and Climate Initiative as a step toward reducing our transportation carbon footprint. We may be a small state, but we do have an impact, and with 44% of our carbon emissions coming from transportation, this is a critically important step.

Traveling regularly to Keene, NH, I am constantly aware of the insufficiency of our public transportation system. If we had buses traveling between Brattleboro and Keene, I would be taking them. TCI could mean that all of us would have better public transportation infrastructure, and fewer of us would have cars on the road.

I'm aware that there is resistance to TCI because of the burden that increased prices on gas would put on poorer Vermonters, who often must drive to jobs that are often far from home, and who can't afford to buy an electric vehicle, even with incentives. If done right, TCI can ease these issues, rather than becoming an added burden for poor Vermonters. I urge that funds received by Vermont through TCI be directed into programs that help poor Vermonters with transportation needs. This means that public transportation should be treated as a public good and be free or very inexpensive, incentives for fuel efficient cars should be means-weighted enough so that someone who is driving a third-hand gas-guzzler can afford to replace it. Vermonters with accessibility needs (who are often among the poorest of us) must also have their needs put foremost, and accessibility should be a primary consideration in building out new transportation infrastructure.

Again, I urge that Vermont formally join TCI, and take this critically important step toward a cleaner energy future and an improved transportation infrastructure that will benefit us all.

Sincerely,
Karen Saunders

I participated in Vermont Public Service Board's Docket 5611, an investigation into environmental externalities -- in the early 1990s. The need for a cross-sector framework for regulating greenhouse gas emissions was identified during the investigative phase of the docket. Emission allowance auction was one of several approaches to regulation that was considered. It was an appealing, market-based approach well-suited for a period of utility restructuring.

The TCI helps establish firm limits on greenhouse gas emissions while allowing flexibility in meeting the limits. It is three decades too late, but late is better than never. That the TCI only covers the transportation sector is a disappointment, but too narrow is better than not at all.

If we want our planet to be a place for human beings can live healthy happy lives we must focus on reducing the effects of climate change. Transporting people and goods has a large effect on the Atmosphere and thus the Climate. Transportation is just part of the Climate Change problem. -
It will not take many feet of sea level rise to put vast areas of our country Florida, Cape Cod, New Orleans, Parts of Washington DC, Boston and NYC under water. If we expect to be a "great country" we must take intelligent steps to combat this problem.
And we must expect MANY REFUGEES from other nations that are under water or in some way in climate distress to enter our country demanding help. We must be ready to help.