TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Please find attached comments from 16 environmental, health, scientific, transportation, and business organizations on the Reference Case assumptions presented on the May 23rd TCI webinar. Thank you.

I do not support our governor in joining this coalition. She didnt get the approval of her state and many of us here dont believe she would be acting in our best interests to initiate more costs for us when we are already struggling with the costs of heating our homes and commuting to and from work.she has spent enough of our hard earned money for her term!
At a time when conflicting facts are coming out about climate change, we need to take a closer look before spending our money on it when any significant improvements to come from this is negligible.

This is a tax. I’m not that smart and I know that. This failed to pass in MA years ago, but yet here it is again. Had to come with numbers this time, pass it as a group because that makes it legitimate. The Democrats are thieves, plain and simple. Please do not pass this in Maine. Trump 2020.

Please see the attached letter from stakeholder panelists at New York State's recent public meetings on the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) supporting a comprehensive plan to invest in diverse, clean and modern transportation solutions and infrastructure throughout New York, including under an equitable, well-designed TCI policy.

Every living former Federal Reserve chair, dozens of Nobel laureates, and chief economists from both Democratic and Republican administrations, have all signed an open letter calling for taxes on emissions of greenhouse gases. In my understanding, the Transportation and Climate Initiative's cap-and-invest strategy is an even more effective way to reduce the damage being caused to our economy and environment by our continued dependency on fossil fuels for transportation.

And why?

Because paying for the oil, and the subsidies we pay directly and indirectly to oil companies, costs us in Vermont over 2 Billion dollars a year that goes out of this economy. And the only return we get is in the form of earnings of stockholders in oil companies. If national averages on stock ownership are applied to Vermont, that means 80 percent of Vermonters get no return from the 649 Billion dollars we in the US have paid to oil companies in subsidies, to provide to us with a toxic product at an artificially low price.
One of the most common objections to the TCI is that it is seen as a regressive tax. If you're going to talk about regressive taxes, here is a regressive tax; the hidden taxes we all pay for fossil fuel production.
With TCI, we would at least be able to decide how the charges we add to fossil fuels can be progressively redistributed to help those most dependent on these fuels, those most impacted by their externalized costs.
As an economic issue, this is an action we can take to redress some of the absurd subsidies we pay to oil companies to pollute our air and soils, and to reverse Vermont’s dependency on these damaging products.

I share the caution expressed by some politicians concerning the explicit final details of the agreement. However, our response to these concerns must be to work now to make sure the agreement meets our energy goals. I urge our representatives in these discussions to stay engaged, and to focus on the highest objectives of the program, not short-term political expediency. The TCI represents our best opportunity to make real change and exert control over our energy future.

The proposed Transportation and Climate Initiative is absolutely critical to the future quality of life of all Pennsylvanians. Based on proven science and more than ten years of experience with a policy that has helped many eastern states cut power plant pollution and invest in clean energy, the TCI lays out a plan to rebuild and modernize Pennsylvania's transportation systems while reducing emissions of deadly greenhouse gases. The TCI calls for improved public transportation in rural, suburban and urban areas by developing a modern and more resilient transportation structure that would enable Pennsylvania citizens to get around safely and efficiently. Tens of thousands of good jobs would be created, helping to fuel strong, 21st century economic growth. Carbon pollution should be reduced by 25% over the next 12 years. Medical research indicates that public health benefits by 2032 would include reduced asthma attacks, 1,000 fewer premature deaths per year, and $10 billion savings annually in reduced medical bills and other public health benefits. Tragically, fossil fuel proponents have launched a major campaign to oppose this enormously important initiative. Please resist this effort to keep Pennsylvanians mired in dirty air, rising temperatures, bad transportation systems and poor health for decades to come.