TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

This is another stupid idea to take money from ordinary citizens and give more money to the government. If history is a teacher the CT politicians will take the monies and spend it on other things. I live in northeast CT where there is no public transportation in my area. If this tax goes through the rural areas will be subsidizing the cities. The practical effect will be a huge increase in the cost of goods that are delivered by truck. This will mean prices on everything will go up for no real benefit to the general population.

Electric powered vehicles are most likely the future of private transportation. But there will be a huge surge in demand on the electrical grid. This will mean that more power plants will need to be built but the environmentalists are opposed to new power plants. Solar generated electricity has not developed enough to meet demand yet. So how are we going to produce more electricity?

In my opinion man made climate change is a hoax.

I am against the TCI and it's funding by increasing gas prices because like many Mainers we live 12 miles from the nearest supermarkets, drug stores, dentists and doctors. The increase in fuel taxes will directly impact our quality of life forcing us to make painfull economic decisions with our family budget and for that matter nearly all those who live in Richmond or any of hundreds of other rural Maine communities.

Dear Madam/Sir,

As a professor at Boston University who lives south of the city, I utilize the Commuter rail several times each week to get to work. In other instances, I travel to East Coast cities for conferences and presentations. I appreciate public transportation because it allows me to more efficiently work during travel, and it allows me to keep my personal and work carbon footprint smaller. I am deeply frustrated that there are not more options for public transportation on the East Coast. While I am grateful for what does exist, I think that the population density in the region warrants a massive expansion and updating of the current system. This would have the benefit of reducing harmful pollution in the area, especially for children and the elderly who have more vulnerable health. Because pollution is linked to mental health ills, it seems extremely important to address the pollution in the area given we are in a climate of mass shootings and and increase in public violence. In my opinion, not acting to improve our transportation system would an act of neglect of our citizens. On a personal level, I do not appreciate breathing in the harmful fumes released by the commuter trains. Electric trains would be a very welcome improvement.

Additionally, we are in the midst of a climate crisis!!! High speed electric trains powered by renewable energy would allow us to make an important step towards reducing our carbon emissions which is a goal of many cities and agencies in the area. Most of all, we must act with haste to ensure a livable future for all persons and species on the planet!

I fully support an effort to expand and update the public transportation in the East Coast region!!!

With hope for a speedy and positive result,

Dr. Tawnya D. Smith, PhD

I support these goals:
“…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.”

To Quote Greta Thunberg: "Our planet is on fire!!" Pollution from transportation is our largest source of global warming emissions (regionally and nationally). We request that Maryland formally join the plan to reduce emissions.The plan should include a strong component of equity by prioritizing clean investments in areas overburdened by pollution and/or for those who don't have access.

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

We need to support the TCI program to build a clean, safe, and accessible transportation system for Massachusetts.

In order to save our planet low emission cars are a step in the right direction and I support this step in the right direction.

I support TCI because electric vehicles are better for the climate, our local environment, and our economy.

I support moving our regional transportation network to cleaner fuels, but especially support investments in public transit, separated and safe bicycle routes (e.g. bicycle lanes with physical barriers, not painted lines), and urban walkable street design. Encourage fewer short car trips with alternatives that actually work, not poorly funded public transit used as a last resort or dangerous bicycle lanes that only the foolhardy will ride. The fewer cars and trucks on the road, the fewer investments we need to expand highway and road infrastructure.
Modeling should also address low-income disparities in polluting effects. When averaging air quality improvements over a county or region, these disparities don’t show up. Improvements to benefit low income neighborhoods are few and the last to be implemented. For example, few people in low income areas can afford a car, and the cars purchased are usually second-hand—not the cleaner and more expensive electric vehicles. Coupled with the fact that many low income neighborhoods are located in areas with other air quality impacts (industrial and power facilities, highways and shipping terminals); models that show regional improvements gloss over the fact that there are local areas not experiencing improvements. Please model the “polluted hot spots,” and ensure that funding and improvements go to where it’s really needed.