11/12/2019 |
Robert |
Keyworth |
Owner |
North Weymouth |
Massachusetts |
I am totally against this TCI initiative. It is another attempt to raise taxes in general, and this is not a good thing for Massacusetts.
It would be in the best interests of the... read more I am totally against this TCI initiative. It is another attempt to raise taxes in general, and this is not a good thing for Massacusetts.
It would be in the best interests of the state and any policy maker/pusher involved to distance themselves from this initiative.
Rob - Weymouth, MA |
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1/22/2020 |
Alexis |
Khalil |
None |
Watertown |
Massachusetts |
I am excited to see a high-impact, regional approach to tackling carbon emissions moving forward; this is critical work, especially in the face of the short-sighted, dangerous approach currently... read more I am excited to see a high-impact, regional approach to tackling carbon emissions moving forward; this is critical work, especially in the face of the short-sighted, dangerous approach currently being taken by the federal government. |
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2/18/2020 |
Maliha |
Khan |
none |
Boston |
Massachusetts |
The impact of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is causing a plethora of human health and environmental problems to OUR Earth. TCI can alleviate many of these stressors.... read more The impact of carbon emissions and greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is causing a plethora of human health and environmental problems to OUR Earth. TCI can alleviate many of these stressors. Leaders should choose the best option to target greenhouse gas emissions, and TCI is the only option. This is especially important for areas that do not have transportation access. |
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2/26/2020 |
Zohal |
Khan |
DC |
Washington |
District of Columbia |
Climate change is the biggest issue of our time. Our current public transportation infrastructure in the US is quite lacking. We must build extensive public transportation networks and upgrade... read more Climate change is the biggest issue of our time. Our current public transportation infrastructure in the US is quite lacking. We must build extensive public transportation networks and upgrade existing networks to be carbon neutral. |
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2/19/2020 |
Mridhu |
Khanna |
Massachusetts resident |
Westborough |
Massachusetts |
The transportation infrastructure in Boston is aging and unable to to keep up with the needs of the city. TCI would give my community the opportunity to invest money in transportation to meet the... read more The transportation infrastructure in Boston is aging and unable to to keep up with the needs of the city. TCI would give my community the opportunity to invest money in transportation to meet the needs of the 21st century. Getting to and from places quicker, while polluting less, would be incredible, and is what our society demands. I think we should pass TCI, and bring our transportation up to date with the rest of the world. Tackling climate change and poor air quality should be our number one priority, and the TCI provides an avenue for the state to address climate change while also raising revenue for desperately needed transportation updates.
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11/5/2019 |
Abdul |
khokhar |
gas staion owner/dealer |
Baltimore |
Maryland |
this bill will destroy my lively hood, its already too hard to survive, i have to be on 24x7 on call put lots of hour to save labor so i can meet both ends. Two kids in college and one high school... read more this bill will destroy my lively hood, its already too hard to survive, i have to be on 24x7 on call put lots of hour to save labor so i can meet both ends. Two kids in college and one high school.
i don"t know anything else and i am 57 years old. please do not make these changes to destroy my livelihood.
thanks |
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2/14/2020 |
Ted |
Kidd |
X |
Rochester |
New York |
I traveled from Rochester New York to New York City in my Chevrolet Bolt and was basically stranded in Herkimer because all of the Electrify America fast charging stations were out of order.... read more I traveled from Rochester New York to New York City in my Chevrolet Bolt and was basically stranded in Herkimer because all of the Electrify America fast charging stations were out of order.
We need more DC fest charging stations and better reliabilityor these automobile manufacturers are going to be producing cars nobody will buy. |
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2/27/2020 |
Robb |
Kidd |
Vermont Sierra Club |
Montpelier |
Vermont |
Transforming Rural Transportation to Benefit All Vermonters with TCI
The status quo of transportation in Vermont isn’t serving the best interests of our communities. Instead, it’s... read more Transforming Rural Transportation to Benefit All Vermonters with TCI
The status quo of transportation in Vermont isn’t serving the best interests of our communities. Instead, it’s hurting our environment, health, and wallets. With Vermont’s rural geography, Vermonters drive 20 percent more than the national average to get to work and spend a large part of their incomes on gasoline and car maintenance. Our cars and trucks make up over half of our state’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the tailpipe pollution spewing from them contributes to an influx of health problems, drives hospital visits and burdens Vermonters with healthcare costs.
The good news is that Governor Scott has an immediate opportunity to shift us away from the dirty status quo and invest in Vermont’s future. It’s called the Transportation and Climate Initiative, or TCI for short. TCI would establish a multi-state program that caps emissions from motor fuels in the Northeast and invests in clean transportation solutions as early as 2022.
Multiple polls in Vermont and across the region have shown broad, bipartisan support for a cleaner, safer, healthier, more equitable and modern transportation system. Legislative and business leaders, urban and rural communities, and stakeholders across the political spectrum are all on board to reduce transportation pollution, create thousands of new jobs and save consumers billions of dollars in healthcare costs. (If this sounds good to you, take action: Residents from across the region can offer their comments on the draft plan at the online portal through February 28th.)
Opponents of TCI are mostly dirty energy companies and well-funded allies that are happy to keep profiting off Vermonters, polluting our communities and climate as they take hard-earned dollars out of state. (In Vermont, 80 cents out of every dollar spent on motor fuels is sent out of state.). Imagine instead if we kept that money in Vermont: How many jobs could we create, how many electric vehicles could we adopt, and how many transit services could we expand and improve?
Given the urgency of intertwined climate and public health crises, clean transportation policies must be even more ambitious than what states have proposed so far. Reducing pollution from motor fuels only 20 to 25 percent by 2032, what the current TCI plan has modeled, falls far short of Vermont’s climate protection goals. A stronger program would mean more emissions reduced, more jobs and wealth for communities, less childhood asthma, and more lives saved.
The states’ draft plan for TCI already projects big benefits; a 25 percent reduction in motor fuels could prevent over 1,000 premature deaths and 1,300 asthma attacks per year in the region and raise up to $23 million dollars for Vermont to start. Imagine the benefits under a stronger pollution reduction target, such as 45 percent.
While the state advances incentives for electric vehicles (which just started and must be increased), we have massive room for improvement to clean up our transportation system in an equitable way that benefits all residents, including a statewide shift to electric buses, infrastructure to enable more telecommuting, more affordable housing near work and transportation hubs, and more accessible and affordable transit with new innovations such as micro-transit. These policies will set us on a course to reach our goals and save Vermonters money. Funding generated from the TCI — the top fuel distributors would need to purchase pollution permits — can help make them happen.
Throughout this process, we must ensure that Vermont’s rural and low-income communities that are underserved and have the least access to clean and safe transportation options are first in line for investment and benefits.
We need to look towards our future, bettering our transportation and moving forward on climate progress. We can’t let dirty energy interests continue to pollute our communities and hold Vermonters hostage to the whims of oil barons. Given federal attacks on clean car standards, 2020 is the year that state leaders must work together on regional solutions to transform our transportation systems. Governor Scott should join his fellow governors to finalize a strong and just regional Transportation and Climate Initiative to limit climate pollution from motor fuels this spring.
Robb Kidd
Conservation Program Manager
Sierra Club Vermont
Montpelier
robb.kidd@sierraclub.org
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KIDD-TCI OPED.docx |
1/16/2020 |
Julie |
Kiene |
concerned citizen |
Merion Station |
Pennsylvania |
Public subsidized transportation is a climate friendly way to travel which I totally embrace. We are in a climate crisis and we need to do whatever we can to decrease carbon emissions and I also... read more Public subsidized transportation is a climate friendly way to travel which I totally embrace. We are in a climate crisis and we need to do whatever we can to decrease carbon emissions and I also find it personally more relaxing to travel that way. I am a big fan of trains, but buses work also. |
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1/16/2020 |
Elizabeth |
Kiernan |
CT Resident and Mother |
Ridgefield |
Connecticut |
Its time we move to clean transportation methods. Its time we move to clean transportation methods. |
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2/17/2020 |
Elizabeth |
Kiernan |
Mrs |
Ridgefield |
Connecticut |
Reducing our emissions is critical to the health and progress of our future Reducing our emissions is critical to the health and progress of our future |
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2/21/2020 |
Elizabeth |
Kiernan |
member |
Ridgefield |
Connecticut |
Clean air is a necessity not a luxury. Added transportation only contributes to an already dangerous pollution problem. Clean air is a necessity not a luxury. Added transportation only contributes to an already dangerous pollution problem. |
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2/26/2020 |
Elizabeth |
Kiernan |
ct resident and Mother |
Ridgefield |
Connecticut |
We must take aggressive climate actions now. Transportation improvements are a huge step in the right direction! We must take aggressive climate actions now. Transportation improvements are a huge step in the right direction! |
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10/14/2020 |
Elizabeth |
Kiernan |
Climate concern |
Ridgefield |
Connecticut |
The collaboration’s purpose is to design a program that will reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. This is an important step in the right direction. The collaboration’s purpose is to design a program that will reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. This is an important step in the right direction. |
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12/1/2019 |
Richard |
Kilroy |
Stakeholder |
West Roxbury |
Massachusetts |
You’re not fooling anyone. This is a government “fee” that is going to be passed onto consumers so call it what it is, a TAX.
You’re not fooling anyone. This is a government “fee” that is going to be passed onto consumers so call it what it is, a TAX.
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10/28/2019 |
Greg |
Kimber |
na |
Temple |
Maine |
Maine should use TCI as an opportunity to invest in local transportation solutions that help Maine people get to where they need to go in an affordable way that’s good for our environment.... read more Maine should use TCI as an opportunity to invest in local transportation solutions that help Maine people get to where they need to go in an affordable way that’s good for our environment.
Mainers deserve creative new choices and new investments to meet our transportation needs; the one thing we know is that pouring pollution into the atmosphere and sending our hard-earned money out of state for the oil that causes that pollution are NOT the way forward.
Maine needs an ambitious plan to reduce climate-changing transportation pollution,. Working together with neighboring states makes sense.
Maine can see significant economic, health, and environmental benefits by transitioning to cleaner and more efficient transportation options through adoption of TCI. |
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3/27/2020 |
Greg |
Kimber |
none |
Temple |
Maine |
As a resident of rural Maine, I am often struck by how dependent I am on having a car, with all of the financial and environmental costs that entails. Given that, I am excited to see the ideas the... read more As a resident of rural Maine, I am often struck by how dependent I am on having a car, with all of the financial and environmental costs that entails. Given that, I am excited to see the ideas the Transportation and Climate Initiative are working on. I strongly support this work. Thank you. |
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2/28/2020 |
Margaret |
Kimmel |
Ms. |
OCEAN CITY |
Maryland |
We need to do everything possible to decrease our use of fossil fuels and we need to do it now. I support all legislation that move us in that direction. The environment around us is changing... read more We need to do everything possible to decrease our use of fossil fuels and we need to do it now. I support all legislation that move us in that direction. The environment around us is changing faster than even the most dire forecasts predicted. The time to act is now! |
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10/30/2019 |
andrea |
kimmich |
Resident |
Kennebunk |
Maine |
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... read more 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. |
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10/31/2019 |
Dale |
King |
Appaloosa Antiques |
Harrison |
Maine |
Maine is a state with a small population except in the summer when Maine is a tourist destination. Because Maine is a physically large state the impact of traveling distances to various tourist... read more Maine is a state with a small population except in the summer when Maine is a tourist destination. Because Maine is a physically large state the impact of traveling distances to various tourist destinations, or simply going to work, creates a large amount of carbon emissions from cars and trucks bringing goods into the state. Maine has very little public transportation that would help move an influx of tourists and virtually no other system of transporting goods other than trucks. However, Maine is 90 percent forested and thus affords a great way to harvest carbon emissions through its forests and farmland. This way to capture carbon that is emitted here in Maine, but also in the Atlantic corridor and from the Midwest because of prevailing winds, puts Maine in an unique position to become a great asset in carbon harvesting. This concept needs to be perused as to how to effectively implement carbon harvesting. In addition, Maine has an extremely high incidence of asthma due to air pollution from the Atlantic corridor and the Midwest. The health of the people of the State of Maine should not be impacted by pollution and climate change due to carbon emissions from the above mentioned areas. It is imperative that TCI states develop a working policy that addresses the issues that the people of Maine are facing such as health issues, rising sea levels and the warming of the Gulf of Maine due to the carbon produced by cars and trucks in the Atlantic corridor and the Midwest. |
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