TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Our senior US Senator and former Governor has already called us the "tailpipe of the nation," referring to the noxious emissions that come our way. We have high rates of asthma in our State, which is almost certainly related to air quality, and diabetes, which may be related to particulate pollution. Given the vital importance of public transportation to each State in our region, to the region as a whole, and to our contribution to the rest of the nation, it is absolutely vital that air quality be a serious consideration when planning and implementing transportation plans. It is critical for our future that we develop and utilize available and developing technologies to have mass transit systems--municipal to interstate--that are less dependent on fossil fuels than the current ones.

I support TCI because lesser fossil fuels coming into Rhode Island will mean cleaner air and better land use around the Port of Providence; tailpipe pollution is adding to asthma and heart disease and costing millions of dollars in extra healthcare costs; traffic congestion around downtown Providence is spewing pollution into the neighborhoods; cleaning up port operations will help clean up the air in Providence communities; public transportation will help reduce our traffic congestion and give me more time to other things, like study and be a better medical student and future doctor; cleaner vehicles will benefit us all; electric vehicles are better for the climate, our local environment, and our economy; better public transportation will help more people access more jobs and basic services; we all need more mobility options, and we should be able to get around our communities without needing to own a car.

This proposal is a bait and switch scheme where we all pay to create a fund to pay for administration by political "appointees" who know nothing! When YOU come up with a plan to control the weather send some RAIN to Australia!

I work at a small business in Belfast, Maine. We average about 200k miles per year on our fleet of vehicles to service our customers . Due to our geographical make-up, Maine is already at a competitive disadvantage with high cost of electricity and one of the highest overall tax rates in the Union.

We have limited public transportation which require most folks from Maine to commute via vehicle to and from work. In addition, we have to rely on our vehicles to purchase groceries, visit local clothing stores, transport our children to school events, etc.. This list goes on and on. We cannot simply park our vehicles and chose another mode of transportation.

To include Maine in this initiative will be catastrophic to our economy. As a small business we will be forced to pass this cost on to our Customers. They in turn will have less disposable income to fuel the economy in Maine. I cannot speak to how this will impact other states, but I suspect outside of the large cities (Which already have large participation rates in public transportation) the rural areas will be in a similar situation as many of us in Maine.

I hope common sense will prevail.

• Tiger Fuel Company, which employs over 300 people, is strongly opposed to the "framework for a draft regional policy proposal" which seeks to expropriate the fossil fuel industry. Over time this plan proposes to move Virginia from simple rationing and new taxes to the ultimate prohibition of fossil fuels.
• This plan does not assess the collateral damage it will inflict on state revenue, local tax collections, Virginia's Transportation Trust fund, and consumers.
• Many of the advocates of these policies support regulation to electrify transportation. Those advocates somehow forget to mention that a major component of batteries powering these vehicles is cobalt, 90 percent of which is mined in third world countries under unfavorable working conditions.
• As the number of electric vehicles grows, petroleum marketers will likely have to battle for a share of the electric vehicle charging market with utility companies that see EV charging as a new business opportunity without cost. When utility companies install charging stations, they may seek the ability to include that cost as part of their capital investment. When these costs are approved by governmental regulatory agencies, they can then be passed on to all ratepayers as part of their monthly electric bills.
• Tiger Fuel believes this would provide regulated utilities an unfair competitive advantage that Virginia based small businesses simply cannot compete with. I must economically justify and self-fund at risk investments in new equipment like EV charging stations and so should my competition.
• Another likely competitor under this scheme is the state government itself. This is not a concept, as just this past session the General Assembly passed legislation to allow the Departments of Conservation and Recreation, General Services, and Transportation to install electric chargers. Fortunately our association was able to narrow this initiative considerably by limiting the number of state agencies involved and mitigating the threat of unfair competition by requiring the state to sell the power at prevailing market rates including taxes.
• As a propane marketer I support a clean environment. There are many ways to achieve this without rationing. Incentivizing the sale of electric vehicles does nothing to meet your stated goals of "equity, environmental justice, and non-discrimination." As one example, the stated goals could be achieved far faster and cheaper via efforts to assist low-income Virginians to purchase more fuel efficient vehicles that meet current and future CAFÉ standards.
• History has proven that rationing followed by prohibition - the ultimate goal of TCI - has led to black markets, unregulated and untaxed sales, and undue burdens on law enforcement.
• The impact of these proposals will not be solely on propane businesses such as mine - what about the auto repair industry, muffler shops, service facilities at new car dealers, quick lubes etc.? What about agriculture, construction and watermen who will be forced to scrap present equipment or pay artificially high prices due to rationing? What about the consumer who will experience not only higher prices to operate their personal vehicles, but higher prices for consumer goods and services?
• Tiger Fuel Company opposes the TCI plan to ration, tax and ultimately eliminate fossil fuels.

I think it's vital that we do all we can to mitigate, and work toward stopping climate change by any means. Lives are being lost. Pollution is the cause, has been taking lives for a long time and the acceleration is ugly to see. Because it isn't yet so near to us doesn't mean we won't be feeling effects of all kinds as our fellow human beings, and living things in general are forced to flee pr perish.
I have a grown daughter in California who was extremely lucky to escape being burned to death/ It truly brings the situation home and into focus. The costs of paying a carbon tax could be budgeted for by giving up a bad habit or two, also helpful.
I'm wondering what % of VTs Carbon emissions come from that new Burlington airport and the military in general and if they can be made to pay for their emissions as well. I 'm hoping that New Hampshire will get a chance to reformulate their position on this. I think we should carry ahead no matter what.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

Small bossiness will be hurt , we are located on the Rhode Island border. We voted against this increase 5 years ago.

The Vermont government has been woefully inadequate in its actions to address climate change. We pride ourselves on being progressive and forward-thinking, but in truth we have made almost no progress whatsoever in addressing global warming over the last 20 years. This is shameful.

I am the Energy and Facilities Manager for Lebanon, NH. I live in and serve the Hartland, VT Energy Committee, and for 14 years served on the Brattleboro Energy Committee. I have been an active member of the VT Energy and Climate Action Network for 15 years, and have been working on energy and climate issues since undergraduate and graduate engineering school. The opportunities that we have lost through inaction are astounding, and future generations will damn us for it.

Vermont is a rural state, with many poor, working people. Reducing our transportation emissions is a huge challenge. Tremendous innovation and creativity will be needed, as well as lifestyle changes. Why is it that when America goes to war people are asked to make sacrifices, but never in the name of saving the planet? We might be a rural state, but that is no excuse for expecting people to rely solely on personal vehicles, which are costly to operate and have limitations for many, in addition to being high polluters. I have lived in Mexico, and done it without a car. Why is 3rd world Mexico so much more advanced than America in its public transportation? It is because they dedicate the resources to provide good public transportation. TCI has the potential to direct resources to alternative transportation systems and infrastructure, which would lower people's living expenses and reduce our greenhouse gasses.

TCI provides the opportunity to tackle the biggest problem of our day — climate change — by reducing emissions in our state’s most carbon-intensive sector, while diverting funds into much-needed transportation infrastructure that will benefit all.

We can either seize this opportunity to make monumental progress and have a chance to prosper in a clean energy future, or accept a status quo that is only becoming more and more difficult for Vermonters and more harmful to our environment.

I urge Vermont to formally join TCI in order to do our part to save our habitable planet for future generations.

Thank you for the work you have done to advance the TCI.