TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

I own and operate a small business in Maine. To service our customers we travel many miles per year on our fleet of vehicles. Maine is already at a competitive disadvantage due to our geographical make-up, high cost of electricity and one of the highest overall tax rates in the Union.



We have limited public transportation which require most folks from Maine to commute via vehicle to and from work. In addition, we have to rely on our vehicles to purchase groceries, visit local clothing stores, transport our children to school events, etc.. This list goes on and on. We cannot simply park our vehicles and chose another mode of transportation.



To include Maine in this initiative will be catastrophic to our economy. As a business owner I will be forced to pass this cost on to my Customers. They in turn will have less disposable income to fuel the economy in Maine. My Customers already have a struggle to pay their fuel bills. I cannot speak to how this will impact other states, but I suspect outside of the large cities (Which already have large participation rates in public transportation) the rural areas will be in a similar situation as many of us in Maine.

In order to have a meaningful impact on switching the transport sector to lower carbon options, we need a meaningful high price on carbon. This would create both consumer economic incentives, and spur private sector investment to make low and zero carbon options more available.

We must also ensure that policy doesn't overly burden lower income families. A system where carbon fees are recycled as household dividends is one approach to ensure social equity of the program.

This bill will only further hinder progress in RI but taking even more money out of people's pockets.

As a resident and small business partner in Massachusetts, I am very concerned about the threats that climate change poses, especially since it will reach every level and facet of our society. I fully support the Transportation and Climate Initiative and hope our leaders will seriously consider and implement bold measures to transform the transportation sector. We need to show that our region and country can lead the way in reshaping our transportation from a highly polluting stain on our society to one that is innovative, accountable, clean, and healthy for its citizens.

As someone involved in local business, I would love to be able to transition my company’s fleet of vehicles to cleaner, sustainable options, but large scale transformation needs to take place so that these vehicles become mainstream and the infrastructure is there to support local communities and businesses to transition as well.

Thank you for your attention to this crucial issue.

Transportation needs to be improved in this region to better serve residents and workers. Key infrastructure has been neglected for too long. It can help protect the environment if done in a green, sustainable manner, while also driving economic growth.

I believe Vermont must not only join TCI, but fight to make it as strong on climate as it can be. It is a critical opportunity for our region to get a handle on transportation emissions while investing in more sustainable alternatives (therefore strengthening our economy by creating jobs and resilience). Regarding the issue of equity, it is up to our state to ensure that the millions we make from the auction of carbon credits goes to helping low-income and rural Vermonters out by incentivizing low/no-carbon alternatives, and/or in the form of direct cash payouts.

I support TCI because: I want better public transportation options; transportation is the largest source of carbon emissions in my state and we have to act on climate; the transportation status quo is hurting overburdened communities especially hard; Rhode Island needs complete streets and bike paths to keep children safe; better connected communities are more vibrant communities; I want Rhode Island to invest equitably in clean transportation strategies that improve air quality and mobility in our overburdened communities; clean transportation is an opportunity for economic growth and new jobs; rural communities need more public transportation options; more trains to Boston will keep Rhode Island competitive in our regional economy; tailpipe pollution is adding to asthma and heart disease and costing millions of dollars in extra healthcare costs; traffic congestion around downtown Providence is spewing pollution into the neighborhoods; less fossil fuels coming into Rhode Island will mean cleaner air and better land use around the Port of Providence; cleaning up port operations will help clean up the air in Providence communities; better public transportation will help reduce traffic congestion and its great societal cost; cleaner electric vehicles are better for the climate, our local environment, and our economy; better public transportation will help more people access more jobs and basic services; we all need more mobility options; we should be able to get around our communities without needing to own a car; our region sends billions of dollars in fossil fuel purchases out of our economy to other parts of the country; I want Rhode Island to pursue the most ambitious emissions cap possible; I want Rhode Island to build mobility hubs in all communities; I want Rhode Island to build Bus Rapid Transit lanes; I want Rhode Island to invest in more train service throughout the state; I want Rhode Island to invest in more park and ride lots with transit service; I want Rhode Island to invest in more bikeshare services; I want Rhode Island to invest in more electric vehicles and public charging stations; and I want Rhode Island to invest in more paratransit to improve mobility for all.

As a health professional-trainee, and concerned resident, I am submitting this commenting support of an aggressive carbon reduction schedule in regards to designing a low-carbon transportation policy. There are a multitude of benefits from adopting such a schedule for the involved states, including but not limited to, public health benefits from reducing gas burning for children, the elderly, and those with lung conditions - all of whom are among my patients, in lieu of upward trending (rather than downward trending) usage in the last decade. Furthermore, this policy change will enable the further development of electric car infrastructure, which will keep this region economically strong and vibrant in the near future and beyond. Strong rules are necessary to change our direction, and along with many of my peers and community members, I am in favor of this region taking active steps to formulate regulations that take us into a low-carbon future as fast as possible.