TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

I care about clean air, yes. I walk my dog & run for exercise: clean air is essential for these activities. I also hate to drive and therefore support any endeavor that would strengthen regional public transit. There have been so many times when we wish we could take the greener (and easier option) of taking the train into Boston from the suburbs or from MA to Maine, but the schedules/access are too limited and/or too slow.

I recommend that Vermont join the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI) that is being developed for states in this northeast region of our country.

We now know that climate emissions in Vermont have been increasing in the last two or three years despite a clear legislative and policy commitment to reduce these emissions. We also know that climate emissions from transportation account for the largest share of recent climate emission increases. We also know that transportation is an activity that may be addressed most effectively on multi-state, regional basis. And we have seen that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has proven to be an effective tool for reducing climate emissions from electricity generation.

I am a member of a church in South Burlington that sees the climate crisis as a moral crisis for all mankind and that we all have a responsibility to do what we can to reduce climate emissions. We have been at work for several years to walk our talk by reducing the climate emissions we contribute. Our church has with its own resources taken steps which, with help from Efficiency Vermont and Vermont Gas, enables us to reduce our carbon emissions associated with natural gas and electricity use by more than 50 percent. We want to address climate emissions from driving our personal vehicles but this requires support, just as Efficiency Vermont and Vermont Gas helped us with improving the energy performance of our church building and our individual home.

The TCI offers Vermont a potential source of revenues to support steps to reduce transportation emissions and to do so in way that will help most the people least able to afford newer, more fuel efficient, lower emission cars and trucks.

I ask that Vermont join in the emerging new TCI and to endorse actions by the TCI program that will help all Vermonters to reduce climate emissions resulting from our transportation activities.

It is now obvious that climate change is happening and causing very big impacts that include significant increases in annual rainfall in Vermont, warmer winters in Vermont which threaten the future of skiing in Vermont, accelerate the incidence of lime disease, and threaten the long term viability of our maple syrup industry. These impacts are the obvious ones that confront us in easy to observe ways. Scientists tell us that the Vermont forests, lakes, and wildlife communities are all being transformed by these changes in very negative ways.

It is also important to recognize that the TCI program can make big positive contributions to the State's economy. This has happened with energy efficiency activity, which is now a big Vermont employer, and the solar industry, which had until recently been a fast growing business in Vermont that provided jobs and produced income for Vermonters across the State. The Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund finances annual economic assessments of the clean energy sector and has with these annual studies has documented the large direct employment and income benefits of these clean energy businesses. The TCI can and should be harnessed to build upon this progress.

I urge that Vermont sign the TCI memorandum of understanding and commit the policy and program leadership needed to build an effective program. Such new programs require hard work to make them work and to avoid pitfalls. I plead for the Governor and the Legislature to do the hard work of negotiating an effective TCI program that will benefit Vermont and serve Vermont's stated commitment to achieving the Paris Climate Goals, which will benefit all mankind.

Thank you for this opportunity to comment.

Sam Swanson

I staunchly against any initiative for the state of Maine that will increase taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, we pay one of the highest taxes in the nation already well I care about the planet use the money you already have stop charging us more. Thank you for your consideration and please do not charge us the taxpayers any more money we already pay too much as it is.

“…design a regional low-carbon transportation policy proposal that would cap and reduce carbon emissions from the combustion of transportation fuels through a cap-and-invest program or other pricing mechanism… [and]… to complete the policy development process within one year, after which each jurisdiction will decide whether to adopt and implement the policy.”

I am not willing to pay more at the pump or to heat my home. This is a regressive tax and hurts the poor . I want to be free to choose the mode of transportation that is best for my family. Maine is such a rural state and most areas have no public transportation because of sparse population.

My name is Parvathi Susarla and I live in Bedford, MA. I request that the policy be priced high enough
To effectively reduce carbon emissions and have a strong social equity so that it does not hurt
Any low income families. I appreciate the bipartisan effort on this policy.

This a a good idea but we need bigger ideas like planes, cars, trucks, etc. Climate change is going to be devastating and we are doing too little and to late.

This is bull***t on a cracker disguised as a feel good policy to lower carbon emissions. The only thing this does is increase the price of gasoline at the pump for the consumer and it’s not going to stop us from driving gasoline vehicles. It’s just another fancy way for the governors of these states to take money from people. You take more money from people, less people can afford your stupid ass electric vehicles. We live in northern states where logging is a huge industry. Increasing the cost of gasoline will have a huge effect on loggers and in turn on lumber. How is it you can say we need more housing and then increase to cost of lumber via the cost of gas? Do y’all even look at the impacts beyond your own dollar signs? I think it’s time to rid ourselves of these thieving state governments for good.