TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

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.

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.

Climate change is happening and is not slowing down. We need to address this quickly to avoid irreparable damage to out environment by changing our means of transportation. Auto manufacturers now have electric vehicles available but we need a governmental push to make the transition away from fossil fuels. The transition could be a boost to the economy if the proper incentives are put in place. Please make this happen.

I am very excited to see states, including my own Massachusetts, taking climate change and the impact that transportation has on it so seriously. We need to push for a high-impact, regional approach to tackling carbon emissions because our current federal government is not taking climate change seriously. Thank you.

There is nothing more important to me than minimizing climate change! Changing my transportation to a Prius, and using it less, was the first item on my agenda.

I believe that Vermont should join the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Joining TCI is not the only thing we need to do now to address the climate crisis, but it is one important step we must take. And it will not only bring climate and economic benefits to our state; it will improve our transportation system and reduce air pollution as well.

I have lived directly next to the Mass Pike for the past 4 years. Over that time my roommates and I have all noticed worsening asthma, worse allergies, and have been getting sick more frequently. Meanwhile, we live 4 miles from downtown Boston and it can still take an hour or more to get there on our failing public transit system. We cannot keep supporting a transportation system that is making us sick and slowing us down.

TCI could be an huge game changer for Massachusetts to reduce emissions and invest in a modern transit system that doesn’t leave people behind. Climate change isn’t slowing down and we don’t have time to wait. Even Republican Governor Charlie Baker sees the huge potential in TCI for his state both economically and environmentally. Pollution has been a market externality for far too long and it’s time to account for the harm it is causing to the planet and our communities.

The transportation sector continues to be one of the highest sources of carbon emissions in the state. Climate scientists are clear that we need radical change to keep the worst of the climate crisis at bay. We need TCI to reduce transportation emissions and use the money it makes to invest in areas overburdened by pollution and lacking access to transportation options.