TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

My name is Emily Blank, and I am a political activist concerned about the impact of transportation on climate change. If we are going to save the planet from becoming unlivable, we need to take drastic action (such as limiting pollution caused by transportation) before it's too late. Environmental degradation is an existential crisis for the world, and it is happening more quickly than science expected. Please do everything possible to reverse this threat by limiting emissions. I am grateful that this is a bi-partisan bill.

We know that in order to make our contribution to mitigating climate change, we need to start reducing our dependence on gasoline and diesel powered vehicles. This is not something that can occur overnight. TCI will allow participating states to take a tax from sales of fossil fuels and use that to invest in alternatives that are greener - rail, buses, and bike/pedestrian infrastructure. These investments will benefit us in other ways as well - improving bus transit, especially around our cities, will provide more options for working class people without cars, as well as for middle class people who might choose to leave their car home, but currently lack viable options. A shift away from private cars will relieve congestion in our towns. Building bike/ped infrastructure will make our streets safer for all.

Cleaning up our transportation system is a vital step in transforming our business-as-usual wastefulness into a sustainable economy for all.

I live in NJ. My husband and I will be moving soon to CT to be near our older son and his family. Our other son lives in DC. I would LOVE for train travel to be more convenient and more frequent, as it is in Europe. For day trips into NYC, short vacations in New England, PA, DE, MD and visits to DC, train travel is (or should be) much safer and better for the environment than traveling by car. Yet it just isn't simple. Even now, living just outside NYC, we find it easier to drive into Manhattan for restaurants, museums and entertainment, than taking the train. More expensive, but not to be stuck in one of the Penn Stations for an hour, because the trains are so infrequent (if they are even running at all...hello Uber!). This just shouldn't be our reality in the "greatest country."

Please consider support of a regional electric charging corridor extending from Maine to Massachusetts and also reaching north to connect Canada and Maine. Access to charging infrastructure is vital for residents of rural states like Maine to be able to purchase and drive electric vehicles. Also, please consider long term transportation solutions like creation of a high speed electrified railway to help create high skill jobs in Maine and also provide sustainable access to tourism destinations in state. A railway connection from Boston, Portsmouth, and Portland, with destinations such as Bar Harbor, Sugarloaf, Sunday River and Mount Katahdin could provide easy low carbon access to help continue Maine’s tradition as Vacationland. Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Kyle B.

Please don't raise the gas tax in our state. I love New Jersey and make enough to live here. But that doesn't mean that I want to pay more. Our state law makers have to start saying no and start the downsizing and reducing the state's expenditures.

Transportation is one of the larger greenhouse gas emissions nationally and in our region. Yet the technology exists today to significantly reduce our carbon footprint with clean, green and renewable transportation. Yes, it is true that the initial cost is high, but incentive, rebates, etc can make the price less intimating. Electric trains are a perfect example of cleaner public transit, provided the electricity comes from renewable sources such as solar or wind. If we have better, faster and more convenient ways to get places, people would consider using puvlic transit instead of their own cars.
Climate cahnge is the most important issue of our time and we must include transportation in the ways to reduce the effects of climate change.