TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Maine can see significant economic, health, and environmental benefits by transitioning to cleaner and more efficient transportation options through adoption of TCI.

I’d love to see an electric vehicle charging corridor and high speed efficient rail connecting the northeast.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Kyle B.

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."

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

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.

We desperately need action to save our planet. Plus, not everyone has a car. People need good public transportation everywhere!

Please keep your cash grabbing self promoting ideas to yourselves. To raise my taxes without any legislative representation is akin to how the American Revolution started. You have apparently deemed yourselves smarter and more compassionate about the environment than those you wish to force to pay for your nonsense. Even if enacted, the impact would be minuscule, yet the impact on the taxpayer, business owner and driver would be monumental. Perhaps you don't mind paying more at the pumps, or in stores for merchandise and services but I for one do mind. All of this in the name on making yourselves feel better? That you have done something good for the environment? It all comes at the expense of our freedom and basic representation and is not a price I'm willing to pay.

Dear People, I strongly support modernization of the North South corridor of the Eastern United States. Having enjoyed the privilege of riding on high speed trains in Spain and France, I strongly support the creation of a high speed train corridor for the Eastern United States. In my experience the trains are faster and far more comfortable than traveling by plane or car. It is way past time for this country to invest in infrastructure that benefits all citizens. Thank you for your time.

As a citizen of coastal Maine, one the ocean's fastest warming seas,
(already affecting our lobstering industry), and at the "tailpipe" of the nation's carbon emitters, polluting our air, affecting our elder's and children's health, I strongly support a carbon fee and dividend plan like the Citizens Climate Lobby's proposal. It should start at a level to reduce in green-house gas within a relatively short period, 5-10 years, minimize the impact on lower income and rural households, and be based on actual facts.

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the discussion on what I consider the most important issue if my lifetime. I so appreciate that this sounds like an honestly bipartisan effort.

Transportation is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Therefore it is very important to develop sustainable public transit especially electric buses. Tax rebates will encourage people to buy electric cars. Please join the low carbon transportation policy proposal and join with other states to adopt initiatives to reduce global pollution.