TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Pricing gimmicks and other "market" schemes are lame and not serious. They merely appease oligarchs--who, by the way, have extensive emergency plans to "escape" the ravages of the climate disruption (CD) they've foisted upon us by ignoring CD science and funding lying propaganda denying the existence of CD. All this to concentrate wealth into their greedy, sociopathic hands. We need moral leadership in government who will listen to the demands and solutions of the Poor Peoples Campaign to fight ecocide, racism, warmongering, poverty, and christian nationalism. This governmental leadership not only must pass meaningful legislation that embodies those solutions, but must enforce those laws and interpret them so that we all can be free and victorious in overcoming the existential threat of all of us--not just the disgusting oligarchs.

Support the Transportation and Climate Initiative
J. Michael Atherton, Ph.D.
Feb 2020


Americans pride ourselves on our problem-solving skills. We strive to have the best research and development centers in the world. The TCI supports this drive by reminding America that the world wants us to develop technology to improve transportation, safety, health, congestion, jobs and do it on a scale that makes a difference in the lives of the public. The TCI addresses the important issue of scale by taking a regional perspective.

The TCI calls for innovators to step up and make something that makes a difference. If we solve transportation problems, then not only will America improve everyone’s lives, it will make a nice profit. But, and this is a big “but”, America must grasp this opportunity now. We must stop tinkering with outdated technology and look to the future. If we fail to grab this innovation opportunity, then other countries will do it for us. Many perfectly capable, well-financed, high technology countries want to steal our lead. If that happens, then America will sit back and watch the future be taken from our hands. Do we want the world to thank Chinese technology for decongesting our urban centers? Do we want French, English, or German designers to make transit-friendly projects that reduce transit needs and offer viable options to driving? What if a combined Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese team lowers the costs for large freight transportation while cleaning its emissions? We should feel happy if anyone solves these problems, but we would feel happier if the USA did it.

We must ask who might oppose the TCI and why. Following the money seems to indicate that large corporations have the most to lose if states unify their efforts under a regional TCI. The reason is simple, when the TCI works it will cut into their profits. The region will not have to go cap-in-hand to the corporations when it solves its own problems. Unfortunately and unnecessarily corporate opposition to the TCI represents self-centered, short-term, and unproductive thinking. Such Luddites want us to tinker with their old technology so they insure all efforts funnel through them. They would not only bemoan foreign countries beating us to the innovation punch, they would also oppose regions or municipalities innovating us out of our problems. They take the divide and conquer approach. If they force isolated innovators to focus on small issues, then corporate lawyers and lobbyists can overwhelm them and make them accept corporate control. Corporations ultimately want their technology to solve what they see as a problem so they alone profit. Parochial viewpoints and solving last century’s problems with outdated thinking will fail. We can do better.

The TCI unleashes the collective thinking power of 12 highly educated and motivated states and the District of Columbia. That, by itself, dwarfs most corporate capabilities. State boundaries often interfere with problem solving, so the TCI offers a regional perspective. Since climate change, for example, ignore boundaries, so should climate innovators. Regional thinking has a distinct advantage over local-only thinking. When this powerful group sets about solving its regional problems, they will inevitably solve problems for people beyond their borders. The TCI is designed to promote this cornucopia of benefits. The TCI’s unbounded approach offers a multiplier effect for individual efforts.

For example, if you reduce vehicular pollution, at the same time, you improve public health. Mitigate climate change and you employ millions of people in rewarding jobs that will generate even more jobs. Safe, clean, cheap, and reliable transportation protects our physical well-being, it saves us time and never tests our patience, and it is light on our pocketbook. All these things accrue from solving our nagging transportation problems. The myriad spin-off discoveries that will arise from the TCI make it a gift that keeps on giving. The TCI will unlock such a volume of invention, production, and sustained activity that the rest of the nation and even other nations will send legions of people to study our example.

We should picture the goals of the TCI as equivalent to the moon landing. Call it the New England-Mid Atlantic-DC (NEMADC) based moon program. Like the moon shot it should inspire young people to dream about it and then stick around so they can contribute to this regional effort. The NEMADC moon shot offers such earthly benefits as clean air, healthy jobs, and safe, reliable, and low-cost transportation. The TCI cooperative problem-solving will design transportation to side-step congestion, to deliver us safely to our destination in a timely fashion, and to minimize travel frustrations. Our region has the management ingenuity and technical power already in place. The TCI allows us to look beyond borders so we can see a living matrix fully prepared for success.

We stand ready to take the initiative.

I support TCI. It will get us closer to where we need to be on ppm of CO2. I do wish it were more ambitious.

To Whom it May Concern:

I am a strong supporter of the The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), a collaboration of twelve states and D.C. that would cap transportation emissions and auction emissions allowances. This is a once in a generation opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and raise much needed revenue to modernize our transportation system on a regional scale.

I recently moved away from Maryland, but as a resident for over five years, I thank Governor Hogan for his leadership in supporting TCI and request that Maryland formally join the program. I ask that leaders of the TCI choose the most aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets- as current scientific studies show that we need.

I also urge that the policy prioritizes clean investments in all of Maryland's communities overburdened by pollution and for those who do not have access to transportation choices.

Thank you for your time,
Kimberly Grubert

Lancaster County has some of the dirtiest air in the country and it is time to do something about it.

Limiting pollution from motor fuels has a number of advantages. It will help create jobs and grow the economy as well as cleaning the air and saving lives. I hope Virginia will join TCI to fund better transportation infrastructure, help reduce traffic, and make my community a cleaner, safer place to live. And I urge Gov. Northam to fully support TCI.

I implore Maine officials and legislators to oppose agreeing to participate in this initiative. The "savings" in carbon emissions in Maine are so minimal as to be non-existent. In exchange we get higher taxes that may of us cannot afford. Very few of us have access to public transportation and drive many miles to work and shopping. Most of us cannot afford high-cost electric vehicles. Additionally the environmental impact of used lithium batteries and the inhumane mining practices for same do not seem to matter to concerned environmentalists.

This initiative will have a negative impact on the Maine economy.
Many Maine businesses rely on fossil fuels, such as farming, fishing, and forestry. The increase in fuel costs will make it harder for them stay competitive. With our large geography and businesses operating with slim profit margins, a carbon tax under the guise of an "assessment" will result in business closures and job losses, and I strongly oppose.

Low-carbon transportation makes so much sense in Rhode Island, given that we are such a small state, in that our investment in low-carbon transportation can make a big impact on the residents of the entire state! Our family is a one-car family, and we truly appreciate that we have ways to get around Providence that reduce our impact on the environment, such as ride-sharing, city buses, walking, and biking. However, we'd love to see even more of this kind of transportation extend throughout the state, helping us all curb our reliance on carbon-emitting cars. As the mother of a 4 and 6 year old and a teacher of elementary school students, I'm especially eager to see us reduce our carbon impact to help protect our communities and our children's futures. Thank you for considering.