TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

In my City of Portland, Maine, public transportation (bus) has already started its conversion to electric busses. There is no time to waste, such that everyone need follow our City's example. Please make conversion off of fossil fuels mandatory for every public transit offered.

Dear Madam/Sir,

As a professor at Boston University who lives south of the city, I utilize the Commuter rail several times each week to get to work. In other instances, I travel to East Coast cities for conferences and presentations. I appreciate public transportation because it allows me to more efficiently work during travel, and it allows me to keep my personal and work carbon footprint smaller. I am deeply frustrated that there are not more options for public transportation on the East Coast. While I am grateful for what does exist, I think that the population density in the region warrants a massive expansion and updating of the current system. This would have the benefit of reducing harmful pollution in the area, especially for children and the elderly who have more vulnerable health. Because pollution is linked to mental health ills, it seems extremely important to address the pollution in the area given we are in a climate of mass shootings and and increase in public violence. In my opinion, not acting to improve our transportation system would an act of neglect of our citizens. On a personal level, I do not appreciate breathing in the harmful fumes released by the commuter trains. Electric trains would be a very welcome improvement.

Additionally, we are in the midst of a climate crisis!!! High speed electric trains powered by renewable energy would allow us to make an important step towards reducing our carbon emissions which is a goal of many cities and agencies in the area. Most of all, we must act with haste to ensure a livable future for all persons and species on the planet!

I fully support an effort to expand and update the public transportation in the East Coast region!!!

With hope for a speedy and positive result,

Dr. Tawnya D. Smith, PhD

• Tiger Fuel Company, which employs over 300 people, is strongly opposed to the "framework for a draft regional policy proposal" which seeks to expropriate the fossil fuel industry. Over time this plan proposes to move Virginia from simple rationing and new taxes to the ultimate prohibition of fossil fuels.
• This plan does not assess the collateral damage it will inflict on state revenue, local tax collections, Virginia's Transportation Trust fund, and consumers.
• Many of the advocates of these policies support regulation to electrify transportation. Those advocates somehow forget to mention that a major component of batteries powering these vehicles is cobalt, 90 percent of which is mined in third world countries under unfavorable working conditions.
• As the number of electric vehicles grows, petroleum marketers will likely have to battle for a share of the electric vehicle charging market with utility companies that see EV charging as a new business opportunity without cost. When utility companies install charging stations, they may seek the ability to include that cost as part of their capital investment. When these costs are approved by governmental regulatory agencies, they can then be passed on to all ratepayers as part of their monthly electric bills.
• Tiger Fuel believes this would provide regulated utilities an unfair competitive advantage that Virginia based small businesses simply cannot compete with. I must economically justify and self-fund at risk investments in new equipment like EV charging stations and so should my competition.
• Another likely competitor under this scheme is the state government itself. This is not a concept, as just this past session the General Assembly passed legislation to allow the Departments of Conservation and Recreation, General Services, and Transportation to install electric chargers. Fortunately our association was able to narrow this initiative considerably by limiting the number of state agencies involved and mitigating the threat of unfair competition by requiring the state to sell the power at prevailing market rates including taxes.
• As a propane marketer I support a clean environment. There are many ways to achieve this without rationing. Incentivizing the sale of electric vehicles does nothing to meet your stated goals of "equity, environmental justice, and non-discrimination." As one example, the stated goals could be achieved far faster and cheaper via efforts to assist low-income Virginians to purchase more fuel efficient vehicles that meet current and future CAFÉ standards.
• History has proven that rationing followed by prohibition - the ultimate goal of TCI - has led to black markets, unregulated and untaxed sales, and undue burdens on law enforcement.
• The impact of these proposals will not be solely on propane businesses such as mine - what about the auto repair industry, muffler shops, service facilities at new car dealers, quick lubes etc.? What about agriculture, construction and watermen who will be forced to scrap present equipment or pay artificially high prices due to rationing? What about the consumer who will experience not only higher prices to operate their personal vehicles, but higher prices for consumer goods and services?
• Tiger Fuel Company opposes the TCI plan to ration, tax and ultimately eliminate fossil fuels.

Having enjoyed nature's beauty for 70 years I feel the need to preserve it for future generations by doing all we can to reduce pollution due to transportation fuel combustion. My state should join in any plan that seeks to reduce emissions and invest in clean alternatives.

We need a plan that holds large transportation polluters accountable for the pollution they create and invests in clean transportation solutions

We need to stop cap these emissions for the sake of our children and planet We can cut poverty and pollution at the same time. I urge you to move forward with a regional program that prioritizes the needs of communities overburdened with pollution and underserved in mobility options

She's trying to turn Maine into California and us Republicans won't let her!