TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

The Transportation and Climate Initiative is already an impressive feat in terms of environmental action. The independent organization and union of so many states and stakeholders to address this critical issue sets a commendable example to the rest of the country and demonstrates that we need to act. Transportation is a particularly impactful area with regard to energy use (especially fossil fuel consumption) and also environmental justice. Mobility allows people to not only meet their basic needs but also to access economic opportunities, and with lower-income individuals tending to not have access to personal cars, good public transit is necessary to ensure equitable access to jobs and resources.1,2 Fortunately, the TCI already “recognize[s] and [commits] to investing in and mitigating the impacts on low-income and disadvantaged communities.” The initiative receives my support so long as it makes concerted efforts in the following areas to ensure just outcomes.

Firstly, the cap and invest strategy proposed to bring down emissions and finance the transition to cleaner options needs to protect low-income consumers from gas price increases. In many cap programs, the cost of buying emissions allowances gets passed down to the consumer who ultimately uses the energy source, and this disproportionately impacts lower-income populations.3 Consumers can be shielded from the impact of these added costs through state programs, which can either aid individuals and households in lowering gasoline consumption or provide financial assistance to those with trouble affording their expenses. Rebates and subsidies present more traditional methods, while climate credits are a newer solution; in essence, part of the revenue generated from the sale of emissions allowances returns to consumers to offset the cap costs.3

Secondly, the TCI projects, through this transition to cleaner transportation, a “modest” increase in jobs. Perhaps this isn’t a main benefit of the program, but low-income communities should be given preferential access to these opportunities. Clean energy jobs in particular provide a substantial economic boost to people of lower income brackets: the poverty rates for people who have not completed college or high school are higher than for those who have;4 however, people without higher education can still access these jobs and even make more money than in other jobs for which they would be sufficiently educationally qualified.5 While this would be a more indirect equity outcome of the TCI, it is an important contribution to the upliftment of vulnerable communities and a way to guarantee that they benefit from this initiative.

Addressing climate change is a critical task and by no means an easy one, especially given the wide array of problems to be solved. Given its hefty role in emissions and in our daily lives, transportation is a key place to initiate the shift to cleaner energy. However, in setting a cap on fuel use, the TCI cannot further burden low-income communities. So long as this program fights to uplift vulnerable populations and actively include them in the transition to sustainability, it has my full support.


References
1: White, G.B. (2015, May 26). Stranded: How America’s failing public transportation increases inequality. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/stranded-how-americas-failing-public-transportation-increases-inequality/393419/.
2: Sanchez, T.W., Brenman, M., Ma, J.S., & Stolz, R.H. (2018). What is transportation equity? In The right to transportation: Moving to equity (pp. 7-11). Routledge.
3: Aldersebaes, J. (2016, Aug 8). Environmental justice wins with California cap-and-trade. Triple Pundit. https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2016/environmental-justice-wins-california-cap-and-trade/23946.
4: UC Davis Center for Poverty Research. (n.d.). How does level of education relate to poverty? [Graphs]. Retrieved February 27, 2020, from https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/faq/how-does-level-education-relate-poverty.
5: Marcacci, S. (2019, Apr 22). Renewable energy job boom creates economic opportunity as coal industry slumps. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2019/04/22/renewable-energy-job-boom-creating-economic-opportunity-as-coal-industry-slumps/#60a1997a3665.

Thank you for your practical, bipartisan work. I hope you will quickly develop and states will implement an ambitious plan to:
-- set a price high enough to drastically reduce emissions, relying on the latest science.
-- roll out the plan in a way that will build public (bipartisan, business, broad) support, with gradual implementation but an ambitious target (businesses and other people can adapt, but they need predictability).
-- build in a strong component of social equity so it doesn't hurt rural or low/moderate income people (e.g., rebating to all citizens equally, not just rebating in a way that those who use more fuel get more rebate - see citizensclimatelobby.org)

I hope that my state of New Hampshire and all the states of the northeast will develop and participate in a strong regional transportation plan that will sharply reduce emissions. I appreciate this bipartisan effort.

My name is Linda Butler, I live in Northampton, MA, and I care about this issue because I hope to be on the planet for some years to come and because I have children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors whose future well-being I care about as well--their health, their safety, their economic security.
I am grateful for the work the TCI is doing to slow the dumping of carbon into the atmosphere and pleased that the project is bipartisan.
I believe that a carbon fee and dividend policy is the best way forward, but whatever policy is adopted, I hope it'll have a price on carbon pollution that is high enough to effectively reduce emissions to a scientifically-determined tolerable level.
I also believe that the policy can and must be designed to be fair to low/moderate income people, rural drivers, and farmers.
Thank you.

I am against this bill! The cost of living in New Jersey is already one of the highest in the US. Many of us live on fixed incomes and in areas where public transit is basicly non existant! An increase of another 5-17 cents per gallon with the increase in tax we are already paying would be difficult for many to deal with. The State of New Jersey seems to want to increase the costs of living here, with no attempt to help its residences, no help with property, no help with income tax, prescription prices, insurance cost for hard working citizens. Increasing the cost of living even more in NJ with no plan in place to help to decrease our other cost is ridiculous, but it is a typical NJ move by our politicians who only seem to care about looking good to the media and nothing about its citizens. I so wish I could move out of here!

Thank you for your 9/16 webinar. I have two questions.
1. One speaker contrasted the TCI approach with “carbon pricing just to raise revenue”—as if putting a price on carbon were nothing but a carbon tax, à la proposal from president Macron that filled the streets of France with angry people in yellow vests. That’s setting up a straw man, and it’s not helpful.
Instead, I’d like to hear from Massachusetts government officials who favor the TCI approach whether they think that reducing emissions from transportation only will get us to overall emissions reduction goals more effectively than an economy-wide Carbon Fee and Dividend program, and if so, how.
2. I had a question that evidently others submitted as well, but alas, I didn't understand the answer. Perhaps it could be addressed again in the Sept. 29 webinar. I understand there's a mechanism to contain rising costs (in dollars), but will goals for reductions in emissions still be met if that mechanism is triggered? I heard nothing about mechanisms to ensure that current emissions costs to health and safety are contained and reduced.
Thank you again for your work on the TCI and your efforts to educate the public.

It is vital that emission standards are not degraded within this region and across the nation. Europe has long held higher standards and the impact on air quality is well documented. The fossil fuel industry should not hold power over rational and safe standards for emission not should they remain the primary decision makers for investment in clean rapid transit. Forward looking measures in both of these areas will foster clean development and provide the basis for job growth in this Northeast region.

Please don't pass.
Just a gas tax.
Will hurt small business.