TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

My wife and I live almost half the year in East Bootbay, ME. We have been witnesses to the environmental degradation of that region for over 45 years. Much of that has been from dense automobile traffic. Anything that would improve public transportation to a level that would shift travel from individual cars to collective transport would be helpful. We support this effort to make a difference.

For someone who has lived in Europe, the differences in terms of availability of public transport, especially in rural areas, is very apparent. I'm very pleased to learn about initiatives like this, especially given the importance of public transport in combating our impending and dramatic climate crisis. One key aspect that I hope can be taken into account is not just the availability and affordability, but also the public perception of, subway, train and especially bus travel.

Connecticut’s transportation sector is the biggest single emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the state at 38% of the total. This is a climate crisis, and we must immediately work to reduce carbon emissions from trucks and cars.

I enthusiastically support a transportation plan that is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution while investing in sustainable transportation modes. Bus transit, rail, walking, and biking must be improved across the state, especially in cities and town centers.

This transportation plan is also a land use plan, and we must stop investing in a sprawling, unsustainable development model. Future development in the state must be in cities, town centers, and near transit hubs. Some of the transit hubs we have are neglected and in critical need of repair and improvement.

We should not be investing in expanding the interstate highway system. Expanding our interstates in Connecticut both increases emissions in the long term from induced demand and increased driving while putting development pressure on the state’s dwindling forests and farms.

Many cities and towns in the region have shovel-ready plans to improve transit, rail, and active transportation. We must invest in a future with more people on buses, trains, on foot, and riding bicycles. That future includes more transit-oriented development in walkable communities.

Addressing greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles also means immediate health benefits for our most overburdened populations as a result of improved air quality and fewer emissions of localized pollutants responsible for cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, among other adverse health impacts.

I write to you as a dedicated bike/ped and public transit commuter in southeastern Connecticut with asthma. Thank you for your careful consideration of this extremely important issue. We must act now.

Sincerely,
Andrew Lopez
286 Montauk Ave.
New London, CT 06320

Electrification Greenprint

1. Hearts and Minds. Run a campaign to motivate and educate the public about climate change and actions they can take right now (like supporting this list).
2. Commitment. Every city needs to join the Climate Mayors (climatemayors.org) and abide by the Paris Climate Agreement.
3. Community Choice Aggregation (CCA). Default to renewable energy, with an “opt-out” for cheapest energy on electric utility websites. Gradually increase the cheapest rates to subsidize the renewable option until they are equal, then consolidate to 100% green only (epa.gov/greenpower/community-choice-aggregation).
4. Rate Transparency. Impose variable Time-of-Use rates to unmask the higher cost of generation during peak usage. Aware customers will alter behavior to avoid peak rates, shaving peak demand off high generation rates.
5. Community Solar and Wind. Remove restrictions on investing in Municipal Solar and Wind Parks. If someone wants to fund $1,000, let them. Once fully funded, build more on any other undeveloped public spaces.
6. Energy Storage. It’s just as important as other renewable sources, so add it to the Green Energy Program. Homes not suitable for solar panels (like mine) can contribute to grid services and gain emergency backup power by co-funding distributed energy storage in their homes.
7. City Fleet Vehicles. Gradually replace government vehicles with EVs as they age out (driveevfleets.org). Please see the attached presentation that convinced the City of Newark, DE to start transitioning with the purchase 3 EVs in 2020. Update needed for Tesla Cyber Trucks wherever legacy pickup trucks are used now.
8. EV Charging Stations. Install Level 2 car chargers at all city parking facilities, starting with the busiest. One discounted fee for parking and charging. Proceeds to the city’s Green Energy Program after the chargers pay for themselves.
9. Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G). EVs sell power back to the grid during high demand. Nuvve (founded at the University of Delaware) is already installing and operating V2G systems worldwide.
10. Use the VW Diesel Scandal Lawsuit funds to purchase electric city and school buses as the current fleets age out and/or break down.

This bonus item is pretty extreme, but would have a huge impact once the momentum gets going.
11. Carbon Rebates. Expand RGGI to cap GHG emissions from gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and natural gas by applying a state tax. Use it to fund GHG reduction rebates and diversify revenue. Since the federal government is unwilling to stop subsidizing fossil fuels, this is using state power to get it back.

Please see the attached comments from The Nature Conservancy on the TCI Draft MOU.

It is known that transportation sector is a great contributor to global warming via CO2 emissions. I urge you to invest and promote alternative transportation vehicles like electric and hybrid machineries. While the infrastructure maybe lacking, the boost in demand of such vehicles would promote expedited development.

Thank you for your time.

What makes HUGE sense throughout the state of Maine is investing in the reduction of Tailpipe pollution. First, through no-idling ordinances being imposed (idling uses 2x the amount of fuel as driving); next by incentifying residents to purchase EVs and municipalities to develop “charging stations” infrastructure, while mandating commercial enterprise use zero-emissions vehicles. Wonder how much of auto exhaust comes from trucks. (?) In Maine, which is so sparsely populated, and with vast distances between towns/destinations, investing in mass transportation probably makes sense in limited ways only.

Our young people are showing us the way--increasingly rejecting cars and driving in favor of public transportation--but the state of our transportation infrastructure is a scandal and a ticking carbon bomb. Enough. It is past time to invest in clean transportation, and 100% clean energy overall.