TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Mass Transit.
Mass Transit in many more locations.
Mass Transit with vastly more runs. Mass Transit powered by electricity....renewable sources, available battery infrastructure.
The cost would seem daunting, but so are the costs of ignoring the carbon contributions to worsening conditions even in Massachusetts. Again the costs would seem daunting, but so are the costs of keeping roads and bridges functioning....in the landscape of no political will to increase gasoline taxes.
Some day really soon, I hope the big thinkers take a serious look at the monorail concepts (Transit-x, JPod, maybe others) which are comparatively inexpensive to build, privately funded, dependent on municipalities granting less intrusive rights-of-way, modest fares, frequent pods, convenient locations, good for radial lines from local transit hubs, good for main lines from major cities/towns to boston, good along the entire mass pike (thank you to the late chris walsh, state representative from framingham), also good for some freight. (Check the analogous build out of the regional trolley car systems throughout the northeast before and after 1900!)

The proposal outlines a program that will cap the sale of gasoline, tax it, and then require the revenue generated to be spent on new government programs and projects that will further reduce the sale of gasoline. Some of the projects envisioned have ramifications that have not been verified or well thought out. For instance, pushing consumers to electric vehicles has not been shown to lessen environmental impact due to the environmental costs of EV batteries and manufacture of new vehicles. Further, programs such as incentives to EV purchase often favor wealthier individuals while the new taxes on gasoline will disproportionate affect poor and rural communities.

The northeast compact has a greater impact on Maryland and Delaware than the other Northeast states. Geographically, Maryland and Delaware retailers will suffer the most because consumers may more easily choose to go elsewhere for fuel.

Although this proposal has been pitched as a consensus document, in fact, it is not. There have been only three work sessions and less than a handful of webinars to solicit public feedback and comment. The framework is not ready for adoption by the states as too many points have not been clarified and fleshed out. No one really knows the full detail of the proposal. More outreach and public input needs to happen to shift this to a consensus. At the present, the framework appears to be a predisposed outcome.

I reject this framework – and I urge that the participating Governors be required personally to attend and hold public hearings throughout their states. This proposal will not achieve its goals. California enacted a similar program recently, and, by most accounts, their gasoline costs have skyrocketed while the environmental impact has had no true measurable benefit.

I strongly oppose TCI for the following reasons:
1) it is taxation without representation
2) related to above, the manner in which this TAX is being rammed down our throats without the legislature is cowardly and probably unconstitutional.

The TCI is an unconstitutional tax. It does nothing for the climate at all. This is yet another scam by idiot liberals to take your money in a confiscatory tax.
Don’t let it happen!

I deeply care, for my children and future generations, about reducing pollution from transportation, which is our largest source of global warming emissions. I hereby request that Connecticut formally join the plan to reduce emissions.
I demand that the policies have strong components of equity by prioritizing clean investments in areas overburdened by pollution and/or for those who don't have access. I express my support and gratitude for the bipartisan nature of this project, and the legislators who aren’t corrupted by the dirty fuel cartel. Thank you for moving us forward while the shameless Republican-led federal government betrays our nation on every level.

This is nothing but a leftest democrat money grab. There is only one guarantee. Taxes will go up. Pollution IS real. The fear mongering narrative spewing from the climate initiative industry is baseless and false. The science is not "undisputed" in fact its highly disputed. More and more we find out about the lies. Maine and Mainers are not culprits to the world climate. I say let the other states proceed if they want and we will monitor it's success or more likely it's failures. Lets be honest here. What Government program ever created has been successful?.

Lets keep the activism going and solve emission problems, but lets not allow the government to dictate the taxes and fees while all the while foolishly spending it in other areas. Does anyone know how Maine has benefited from previous initiatives?

The push for electric cars looks good on paper but realistically we are still in test mode. The percent of cases of dangerous and unsafe incidences (batteries blowing up and catching fire) is currently low but what about when we force the market and the country is infiltrated with EV's. The percentage remains the same but the incidents will increase to an alarming level. I do not trust these cars in the mainstream yet. Tesla has been highly subsidized and they are still faced with reliability and practicality issues.
We were duped on the wind mills. They don't pay for themselves before they expire and now were are having disposal issues.

We need more studies and test before we jump on the so called "clean" EV's.
1-I want to know how we are to dispose of these very expensive batteries that are useless after 10 to 15 years.
2-I want to know how much more or less fossil fuels will be used to generate the increased power for charging stations.
3-I want to know what kind of regulations are in place for mining the minerals required. Huge corporate mining facilities and child labor.
4-What is the life expectancy of an EV in cold climates like Maine. A legit concern.
It seems as we are ready and willing to throw money to the problems without asking any questions.

TCI is NOT for Maine. At the very least we should have a referendum.

I (and many other citizens) want cleaner choices. We need government leadership to incentivize industry to give us those cleaner choices. Doing so will benefit me, you, and the future of the whole world. Thank you for your attention.

I support policies that promote strong environmental standards and a healthy future for our state and planet.
Thank You