TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

The TCI Would be Beneficial for Vermonters With a Grain of Salt
As an environmental studies student in Vermont, I have learned extensively about the climate crisis happening today while experiencing what transportation is like in a rural state. I believe that this transportation initiative, while not a final or extensive enough solution for all of the issues regarding climate change, would begin to make a difference so long as marginalized communities are taken into account properly. According to the U.S. Energy Information Center data collected in 2017, transportation is the leading emitter of CO2 from the area encompassed by the TCI proposal, making this an important sector to target as they have bee left out of past initiatives, such as RGGI. Simply by taking a step to reduce these emissions, these areas can demonstrate a clear commitment to the mitigation of climate change and make a significant difference. This plan may be extremely helpful in actively participating in the climate change movement, but it needs to keep in mind the idea of environmental justice while doing so in order to be an effective and beneficial program.
The section in the TCI Memorandum of Understanding regarding “equity” and the language around disadvantaged communities are minimal, leading to reasonable concern that the vagueness of this initiative will lead to further marginalization of low-income or underprivileged communities. While this plan of “cap and invest” could be extremely helpful in discouraging the emission of CO2 and collecting money to use for other climate change mitigation tactics and improvements to infrastructure, there can be concern that those who are the least able to pay would be bearing the brunt of this fee. However, because of the invest concept, these groups of Vermonters could experience great rewards in addition to climate change mitigation if the investments are used for things such as increased public transport or other programs that improve life quality.
The California Climate Investments project, which enacted a similar cap and investment policy in 2015, was able to invest $690 million dollars in priority populations in 2019 alone. These investments went into projects including affordable housing, zero-emission vehicles, and “improved mobility options;” all of these concepts could be extremely helpful to people who would be subject to higher prices for gas due to the cap portion of this plan. The affordable housing options could help create more urbanized centers that would allow for easier mobility, which is a goal emphasized in Vermont’s plans for transportation improvement. Increased access to zero-emission vehicles and improved transit systems would directly assist people who may already be suffering from lack of transportation access.
Because Vermont is such a rural state, many individuals rely on private transportation methods to go to work or school. A report in 2015, however, by the Vermont Transportation Board, reported that driving habits in Vermont decreased by 8.4% from 2007 to 2015, showing that the number of people driving single occupancy vehicles has been decreasing. While there may be varying reasons for this decline, it indicates that there may be a need for an increase in public transportation infrastructure, including extended bus routes. The investment aspect of the TCI plan could be extremely beneficial in providing this needed increase in public transportation. Therefore, a key aspect of making this initiative successful and equitable would be requiring these beneficial investments to be made within a reasonable time from when people begin to be impacted by the increasing prices.
Because transportation is a huge emitter of CO2 in the proposed TCI region, targeting this aspect of infrastructure is key to both making a difference and demonstrating commitment to climate change mitigation. However, this is where the grain of salt comes in as I believe that this proposal would benefit from a more specific policy regarding the use of funds raised by the cap and investment proposal. If the TCI or the states involved in the agreement were to specify options for where the funds would be used and determine how to best mitigate the time-lag that could occur between increased prices and providing funding for beneficial programs, then the TCI would be a much stronger proposal that could help people in more ways than one. Overall, this program should be supported with the understanding that the vague language leaves room for and also a need for an environmental justice aspect.

Partnership for the Public Good (PPG) is a community-based think tank that provides research and advocacy support to over 300 partners in Buffalo, NY. Each year, we hear from our partners that lack of investment in public transit is a major concern for them and the clients they serve. Our public transit system varies in quality depending on where you live in our city, and often the poorest, most vulnerable residents in our city, those who rely on public transit the most, are the same residents who have the least access to public transportation. We need a significant source of additional income for our public transit system, and this is especially true given the climate crisis and the need to reduce vehicle miles traveled. The revenue generated from this cap and invest program would be the perfect source for public transit funding.

Funding our public transit system will make our city more equitable by making jobs, healthcare visits, and other necessary trips more accessible to all in our city, especially for the most economically vulnerable. It will also constitute major strides toward a more environmentally just city as we mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing GHG emissions and invest in communities that have historically faced (and continue to face) environmental racism. Further, this investment is especially critical in this period of COVID-19 as our public transportation system faces extreme financial uncertainty and will likely have to cut service. This is unacceptable for our city, but especially for our most vulnerable populations.

Please take action on this cap and invest program immediately, and funnel the revenues from the program into our public transportation systems with an emphasis on serving those who have been disproportionately impacted by transportation-generated pollution and other systemic inequities.

Here is PPG's report on Race, Employment and Public Transportation in Erie County: https://ppgbuffalo.org/files/documents/working_toward_equalityfinal.pdf

I am a new resident to the state of Maine. I want to express my appreciation for all the forward thinking plans/ideas that I am hearing about. I am especially pleased to read about the increasing of environmentally friendly transportation. It is clear that Maine cares deeply about protecting the environment as well as caring about its citizens. Thank you! SWF

The region needs to work on public awareness about local and global environmental issues, increase access to mass transportation, which should reach everyone despite location, be more reliable, fast, and affordable. Personal responsibility should be encouraged: walking, biking preferred to driving when possible, through the development of safe, bike friendly urban and suburban areas.

I have to drive everyday to work, and it just kills me that I have no choice but to contribute to the growing problem of climate change. If we can find a way to create a world where individuals did not have to all have cars, that would be a great world.

I agree with “…design a regional low-carbon transportation policy proposal that would cap and reduce carbon emissions from the combustion of transportation fuels through a cap-and-invest program or other pricing mechanism… [and]… to complete the policy development process within one year, after which each jurisdiction will decide whether to adopt and implement the policy.”

Addressing climate change is my number one priority as a voter and citizen.

Minimizing climate change is crucial to our health, environment, economy and national security. This disaster is destroying livelihoods, causing conflict and food insecurity, creating refugees, and fueling extinctions and natural disasters. It will continue to worsen even as we address it as long as we are still producing any greenhouse gases, and will accelerate unpredictably due to numerous tipping points and domino effects. We need to immediately change course as sharply as possible while we still can.

Our current modes of transportation are large contributors to climate change, and our crumbling infrastructure limits opportunities for our citizens and is a drag on our economy. We need major investment ASAP.

Governor Baker, please join the regional initiative and make the strongest commitment possible, and waste no time in working with our neighboring states to take as much action as possible. I deeply appreciate actions you have taken to date, but we need much more, more quickly.

Please also make it easier for citizens to multiply your actions by facilitating our adoption of clean energy. For example, PLEASE CHANGE THE UNETHICAL LAW THAT ALLOWS OUR GREEDY LOCAL ELECTRIC COMPANY TO LIMIT THE SIZE OF OUR RESIDENTIAL SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS.

Thank you.

We in northern Maine cannot afford a gas price increase. Please do not sign this initiative. Thank you

Our outdated transportation system is Maine’s largest source of climate pollution—and it doesn’t even meet the needs of Maine people.
Maine people deserve clean, modern, affordable transportation options that deliver economic, health, and climate benefits to local communities.
It makes sense for Maine to work with neighboring states through TCI’s bipartisan, proven policy model.