TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

We need better public transportation in order to get the older unsafe cars off the road .Affordable public transportation would allow those who can only afford the older junk cars to have a choice in how to get to work ,thus relieving the congestion on the roads and save lives because the older cars are less safe and cause more pollution.

I am in favor of this proposal. Maine, especially Aroostook county, suffers mightily from a lack of public transit. It affects everyone and limits the economic growth of the area, especially of services such as medical, recreational, educational and shopping. A thoughtfully-designed system would be a great help to elders and others by reducing isolation, enabling employees of all kinds of companies, and aid and health workers to reach rural areas, etc. of course it will vastly improve air quality which impacts everyone’s health. I do realize it may necessitate increases in fuel taxes, but I think we need to see the bigger picture: the era of a car in every garage is rapidly coming to a close and causes more pollution and expense for most people. As generations age, elders become unable to drive, and that is a serious problem too.

I support a regional approach to address carbon emissions. I hope the use of private jets, planes and helicopters have been factored into the initiative. Over the past several years there has been a noticeable and considerable uptick in private air traffic over my home and neighborhood none of which originated from the town I live. Not only are these vehicles of transport contributing to carbon in our atmosphere they are creating considerable noise pollution.

As a parent of a teenage son I care about reducing pollution from transportation, which is the largest source of global warming emissions so that he and his children can live in a healthy and sustainable environment.

I request that the State of New York formally join the plan to reduce emissions.

I support a policy that has a strong component of equity by prioritizing clean investments in areas overburdened by pollution and/or for those who don't have access.

I am appreciative for the bipartisan nature of this project, moving us forward while the federal government takes us backward.

Thank you.

Our Center OPPOSES the TCI Gas Tax. In addition to the economic problems caused by raising fuel prices at the pump, the concept of states giving away their taxing authority to a group of un-elected ideologues at a 3rd party organization that is only interested in advancing a radical environmental agenda … is anathema to a true democracy!

PLEASE 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 complete the policy development process within one year after which each jurisdiction will decide whether to adopt and implement the policy.

I am deeply and gravely concerned over this petition. By limiting the amount people will drive you are affecting an entire industry and workforce on the available cars to work on after the industry has already sustained raising workforce costs. We as an industry cannot sustain being attacked on both angles by our own government who is supposed to help foster small business instead of kill it. I voted for a Republican Governor in my state to help protect me from these issues.

It is vital that our transportation policies reflect the reality of our world. The transportation sector is a major contributor to climate change and to air pollution. There have been many days in southwestern Pennsylvania in the past few weeks with air quality alerts, and vehicles are a significant contributor to that problem. We owe it to our residents in Pennsylvania to solve these problems by taking action on transportation infrastructure and on transportation policies. I, for instance, intend my next vehicle to be a plug-in electric car (I currently drive a hybrid). But, I do worry about the infrastructure that would make that choice easier. Charging stations are few and far between in Pennsylvania. Long distance travel is a problem! I have solar panels on my house, but the electric grid generally in Pennsylvania needs to move faster toward renewable sources and away from fossil fuel generation of electricity so that charging an electric vehicle truly is a environmentally better choice no matter where it is charged. And finally, we need to move away from fuel taxes as the major source of funds for the transportation sector. As electric vehicles become more common (and they will!), revenues from other sources will be needed to support our transportation system. Let's move forward with intention by planning for a new, clean transportation system in Pennsylvania.