TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

I support public transit options that promote an electrified economy, moving away from fossil fuels and the resulting pollution and climate impact. In particular I urge support of solar and wind renewables and hydrogen.

As an elder and a health care provider I am fully aware that we are facing an existential crisis in climate change, I want to express my full support for TCI. My only concerns are that the proposed carbon prices are too low to achieve the emission reduction goals we must meet to avoid the most dire consequences of global warming. My other concern is that some low and middle income individuals and families may suffer unfairly if plans are not developed for tax rebates or other means to reimburse them for gas price increases passed on to them.

I took the time to prepare this comment because I don’t want this program to repeat the implementation problems associated with the Acid Rain Program’s emissions monitoring system. I was involved in the EPA reporting from the start of that program and would not wish that experience on anyone. My advice is to keep the requirements as simple as possible and minimize the total level of effort needed to submit and track emissions.

I would be willing to discuss this topic with appropriate staff if there are questions or comments.

Thank you.

please design a regional low-carbon transportation policy proposal that would cap and reduce carbon emissions from the combustion of transportation fuels through a cap-and-invest program or other pricing mechanism… [and]… to complete the policy development process within one year, after which each jurisdiction will decide whether to adopt and implement the policy.

just one aspect : how many years - I've lived in N.Y. for over 40 years - has it taken us to finally get rid of polluting MTA buses ? Finally we have, only partially, alas, a fleet of electric/"clean energy" hybrid vehicles : eliminate those old polluting buses entirely, please !

STOP this NOW!!!! Whatever you try to call this it’s just another TAX! We’re not so stupid we don’t see this for what it is. If you try to call it anything else you just prove politicians are LYING SACKS OF CRAP. I voted for Baker in the past, if this goes through I WILL NOT vote for him again. I implore all other VICTIMS (not stakeholders) to make the same pledge and then follow through on it. Stop the wasteful spending in government and we’ll all be better off and not need more of our hard earned money STOLEN from us by the bloated government bureaucracy.

I had the opportunity to attend a public information session on the TCI on 2/12/20 hosted by the NYSDEC Office of Climate Change, at which time I was able to review the current projections of the economic & environmental impacts of the proposed initiative.

The projections for all three of the cap-and-invest scenarios under consideration indicate that the TCI will *increase* net household income for individual families, *raise* the overall GDP of our individual states, and *improve* public health in our communities while lowering the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of our region's transportation sector. My comment is informed by the results of these models as well as by the best available scientific data on climate change.

My two cents is that the TCI is our region's best opportunity to reduce GHG emissions from the transportation sector while investing in infrastructure and improvements to our region's transportation grid. The 20% & 25% scenarios in particular project higher rates of return under the cap system that will lead to additional investments to make life better for our families, our communities, and our overall region. It's a win-win-win-win scenario that greatly outweighs the rising financial & public health costs of continuing business as usual with a transportation system dependent on fossil fuels.

Scientists across multiple disciplines agree that their data indicates that we have less than a decade to transition to a carbon-neutral economy to avoid the catastrophic severe weather events, rising sea levels, and other environmental impacts of a 1.5°C global warming scenario above pre-industrial levels. We have already missed the deadline for a seamless and painless transition away from a fossil fuel-based economy; however, the proposed scenarios under the TCI will make this transition easier & more affordable for the vast majority of people within our region.

Our region has already successfully reduced our emissions in the energy sector through a cap-and-invest system that is transitioning our power grid to renewable energy sources without increasing the cost of energy for consumers. We, the people, can expect similar results from the TCI.

Several previous commentators have stated that they oppose the TCI because they are afraid that additional regulations will lead to higher gas prices. In the models for all three scenarios, any projected increases in gas prices are projected to be far, far less than what I paid for gas during the Bush Administration. The maximum projected increase of 17¢ over today's gas prices (which, as I understand it, would be the maximum projected fuel increase under the 25% cap scenario) is way, way better than the $2.50 more I was paying for gas back in 2007.

What's more, the public works investments from the cap-and-invest scenarios will make it easier and more affordable for both businesses and individual households to transition to a transportation system where buying gas won't be necessary. Our overall fuel costs will be lower as we need to buy less gasoline, and we will have more disposable income available due to reduced vehicle maintenance costs. These investments are a critical part of the TCI strategy, and to me they seem like a more than fair trade for a few cents extra at the pump.

The anti-TCI comments I've read seem to be rooted in a fear of change. We have been dependent on the fossil fuel industry for half a century, and we've sacrificed both our financial independence and our community health to building a transportation system designed around gasoline-powered automobiles. We have forgotten the spirit of innovation and sense of civic responsibility that built America in the first place. The technology already exists to transform our transportation grid to a gas-free system, which would make our cities and rural communities more resilient, more self-reliant, more healthy, and more financially robust. The TCI is an opportunity for innovation, and so it has my support.

Although there are still many details to be worked out under all three proposed scenarios under consideration as part of the TCI, I appreciate the overall health and economic benefits of the proposed initiative. I also very much appreciate how the cap-and-invest system leaves the ultimate decision for implementing the reduction strategies and the accompanying investments in the hands of our individual states. We will move forward together without sacrificing our sovereignty. We can expect to see a rise in GDP, household incomes, and public health. We will reduce the environmental impact of our transportation sector to keep our region inhabitable for future generations.

Because both the 20% and 25% cap scenarios are more aggressive in their approach to reducing emissions, and because these more aggressive caps will give our states more money to use to invest in clean transportation infrastructure, either of these scenarios under the TCI have my full support.

Yes, the HSR potential of the NEC is a must. However, higher-speed rail — 90 to 125 mph — is a perfect solution for underserved regions the like Great Lakes, Cleveland-Pittsburgh corridor, as well as Ohio’s long-delayed 3C project.

My colonial in Fairfield, CT went solar in 2012. I produce most of the power that I need each year........7,000 kWh per year. I was able to re-finance my mortgage to get the $12,000 to pay for the solar. I took money from savings, my kid's college education fund, to get the $10,000 for the Federal Income Tax credit on the solar system. The next time I filed my taxes, I got a check from the IRS and replenished the college fund. The solar paid off in late 2018 or early 2019. No more electric bill and thousands of dollars saved each year. The solar can last 40 years easy and NO maintenance and no roof leaks. Super Storm Sandy came 4 months after my solar was installed and no leaks and no movement and no damage to my roof or rafters or the solar panels, wiring or racking system.
My fist EV was leased through VW. It was an E-Golf and the savings in gas (no gas ever) paid for the lease every month and hardly any maintenance. It was fast and quiet. I pulled into my garage after work and plugged into the regular wall electrical socket and was full in the AM. Literally NO change to my monthly cash flow and I got a beautiful new car. BTW: so many bells and whistles!
My 2016 Chevy Volt PHEV (Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) now has over 95,000 miles and over 50% of those miles are all electric. My wife uses this car all weekend to shop and get her hair done and every morning she goes to the gym and no gasoline required.
The car cost $31,000 net.......not too terribly much more than the normal new car sold in USA! AGAIN, very low maintenance cost. AND, when the solar panels on my roof power my car, it cost me 42 cents to travel 25 miles. BTW: if gasoline was priced correctly, carbon/polluting pricing, it would cost ++$5 per gallon or per 25 miles of travel. BTW: The CT Green Bank has had an incredible special on the Nissan Leaf for years.......almost 50% off and no more gasoline to purchase and burn and very low maintenance!
Now, I did stay on the fossil fuel train when I went from oil heat to natural gas heat in 2012. I am not happy that I burn fossil fuels to heat my home. But the savings to my family every year is thousands of dollars and I guess the pollution is less.
The final phase is to put new stronger panels on my roof and get all electric heating.
The new insulation in my home was a no interest loan that is on my electric bill every month for 3 years.......$60 per month. I am pretty certain the cost savings in natural gas to heat my home and electricity to cool my home more than makes up for the $60 per month. After 3 years, I have no insulation installment payment and I just save.
I will be 60 years old when the insulation installment payments are complete and my energy bills will be very, very low. My gasoline bill will be very low too. I will prop up the economy because I will have more $$$$ to spend on things other than dirty fuels.
I have an electric bike and an electric one wheel that fills with sunshine from my solar.....they are so fun to ride/drive. It is so nice to NOT be in a car to go get dogfood at Stop & Shop. It is so nice to say HI to people along the way and blow past cars that are stuck at congested intersections and red lights. I loved my gasoline motorcycle but my Raleigh electric bike is much better for my health and the Planet's.
I hate being a radical ass but....... if we made a law in Connecticut that every car on State or Federal highways and byways (from 6 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 7 pm) must have 2 people in them. The pollution would be half and the congestion would be half. In an instant!
With FB and tweets and insta whatevers, social media..........people can find ride-shares in a millisecond and never, ever be put out. The costs of the morning and evening commutes would tumble......more money for people to spend on other things. More people would chat on the way to work and this World would be a better place.
And talking radical.......no more selling of fossil fuels or the engines that burn them. The economy would thrive. Jobs would be everywhere. Clean factories would be built in the great american Naugatuck Valley and the middle income jobs would be double what they are today.
Capitalism would do it's thing.
Laws are what drive change and once changed, people won't ever look back and they will wonder why they spent thousands of dollars a year polluting the air and water and reducing their own life expectancy and that of their children.
I sell solar panels and clean battery back up generators and EV charging stations. I love the space I am in and saving people money and the Planet at the same time.
The technology is here now and the time is now.
Thank you.