TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

It is hugely important that we adopt and implement TCI so we can reduce emissions and combat climate change. THANK YOU GOVERNOR BAKER for your leadership on this issue. I request that Massachusetts formally join TCI, and that the leadership chooses the most aggressive greenhouse gas reduction target that the most recent climate science tells us we need. TCI is modeled after an existing program (RGGI) that WORKS and has actually brought costs down over time. TCI is not a tax--it is a market-based solution that will drive change; change we MUST embrace if we are to avert this climate crisis. What's more, the policy will enable funds to be directed to improve transportation - these should prioritize clean investments in areas overburdened by pollution and where there is not much access to transportation.

First of all, I want to thank Governor Lamont for his part in this initiative. His leadership is so important to achieving a significant reduction in greenhouse gases in our region. With transportation in the state contributing nearly 40% of these climate endangering emissions, we need to make a commitment to regional planning. Greenhouse gases and air pollution do not take much notice of political boundaries. We need to make our cities more livable, especially for those low income residents who don't have the luxury of moving out to the suburbs to escape polluted air and often have to rely on spotty and inadequate public transportation services to get to work and take care of ordinary chores. Electric vehicles are becoming more common, but we need to increase their use by both the public and by state government, and we need to make sure the infrastructure is there to encourage their adoption by putting charging stations in convenient locations at libraries and government parking areas and ensuring that renters and condo owners also have access to them. We should encourage ev sharing ventures in communities where owning a car is prohibitive. We should shoot high, adopt an ambitious goal with across the board examination of every aspect of transportation to make significant progress. Such progress will not only cut our greenhouse gas emissions but bring improvements in the health of our cities' residents.

This is something Maine can not afford. Our cost of living vs income is extremely unbalanced, especially in coastal towns. Our property taxes are going up regularly, while our property values remain stagnant. Mainers cannot afford to fund this or any other programs until our economy improves. This will cripple us as prices for everything will rise as a result. This needs to be reconsidered for Maine.

Maine needs an ambitious plan to reduce climate-changing transportation pollution that is coordinated with neighboring states.

Public transportation is often prohibitively expensive (trains, for example, are never a cost effective option; buses are often not viable as well); an affordable choice would certainly help people public options over cars.

I am on a tight fixed income and have reduced my driving as much as possible. For me to take on this ridiculous increase when it doesn’t benefit our state is just wrong. Mainers are frugal and respectful of our rural state. Throwing on another tax which doesn’t address our rural areas is just wrong!

I support this initiative 100%. The major avenue to reducing our carbon foot print is to have more transportation options beside a fossil fuel private vehicle. As a professional vocational rehabilitation counselor I also recognize the importance of bringing transportation options to people with disabilities and people living in rural areas that need reliable transportation to employment locations. Additionally, many youth are ready to live without cars but the public transportation system in our small cities and towns are not feasible options to get them to work and life events, grocery stores etc.

Maine is treasured for it's clean air, water, and clear blue skies. Tourists come here to relax and enjoy the CLEAN air and beautiful night skies!! Certainly Maine is desperate for more affordable transportation, BUT at what costs? Negative inducements like taxes, do NOT work! What we really need are positive incentives, supportive government, and investors that believe in clean transportation initiatives! The technology is out there and Maine is "ripe" for investors and developers of clean transportation. We should be doing all we can as a state to promote clean energy and transportation. The time is NOW!

Everything should be done to encourage a move from fossil fueled vehicles to all electric vehicles for so many reason; air pollution and emissions is foremost. My husband, son, and I all drive Teslas. I have a Model X and they each drive Model 3s. I have noticed how I have become more sensitive to the odors of gasoline and its exhaust. I am disappointed that there seems to be a dearth of Tesla Superchargers in the vicinity of PECO; however, that is another topic.
I recommend that State and National Park Rangers drive EVs because of their close contact with people enjoying fresh air and nature (not exhaust). I also recommend that state and local police officers drive Teslas because of their 0 - 60 speed, overall speed and quick stopping. Our use of fossil fuels must be decreased drastically to slow down the effects of climate change and global warming.

The TCI raises the price of fossil fuels for transportation - when things are more expensive people use less. There is no more efficient way to get people to use less fossil fuel and no more efficient way to transition the economy way from fossil fuels and towards hybrids and electric vehicles. This is the uniform conclusion of virtually every economist and every economic group, including the World Bank and the IMF. As the World Bank’s president said ”to our economists, who have been studying this for quite some time, there is an obvious consensus that putting a price on carbon pollution is by far the most powerful and efficient way to reduce emissions.”