TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

I support clean vehicles and fuels and a well-designed transportation and energy infrastructure. I support a strong TCI, including a cap on carbon emissions of at least 25% by 2032, an increase in the minimum investment in overburdened and underserved communities (>35%), and
request that investments be put towards active transportation like better sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure, and high quality public transit.

The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) is a once in a generation opportunity to bring a critical mass of people, their elected representatives and public and private institutions together to reduce the uses of fossil fuels. On top of that, the conscious choice to make more effective use of electric vehicles and more energy efficient transportation networks will help us turn the corner on carbon reduction and growing pessimism.

First of all, climate change is a hypothesis. The fact is that the earth has been rotating on its axis and revolving around the sun for millions and millions of years. It is a living entity, so it is subject to change. If we believe scientist of all ages, they have witnessed change and recorded their observations for thousands, not multi-millions, of years. The world as we know hypothetically should not go through catastrophic change over the next millennium. Unless, of course, stupid politicians decide that nuclear bombing becomes a necessary purging! Politicians are liars and panderers. This country belongs to “We the people”. Now is the time for “intervention“!
Our state official and government employees act as if they are in charge. Get rid of all “non-essential” personnel and reduce the budget.

As a small business owner in the fuel sales industry, I am NOT in favor of TCI as it is currently proposed because I believe the negative impacts will outweigh the positive impacts. People's jobs, livelihood, and families will be incredibly adversely affected by the aggressiveness of the proposed plan. Such severe caps and reductions within the proposed time frame are unreasonable without an acceptable alternative for sellers and consumers. Moreover, I wholeheartedly believe that this plan will NOT bring us any closer to accomplishing the overarching objective of creating a major reduction in carbon emissions. This can ONLY be accomplished by targeting the largest sources of carbon emissions, namely agriculture, coal mining, deforestation, jet fuel emissions, and burning fossil fuels for heat and electricity. In an already densely populated region that continues to rapidly expand, reduction of fuel for transportation will wreak havoc. It should not go unmentioned that we have an incredibly unreliable public transportation system that CANNOT be considered an alternative nor a method by which we can reduce emissions in our area. A positive global impact on emissions should be the ultimate objective since your efforts will be for naught without global participation and buy-in; we all share the same atmosphere. To really address the issue of carbon emissions, you need to look at the biggest state emitters, such as China, Japan, and India. Until there is action on a global scale, our climate will continue to be adversely affected, no matter what the TCI does. There are "bigger fish to fry," so to speak, and TCI is NOT the appropriate answer because its positive impact, IF ANY, will be negligible when compared to the biggest, real threats to our environment. However, its negative impact on jobs, families, and communities will be astounding and immediately felt. People will associate TCI with the jobs they lost, the money wasted on a failed initiative, and the ensuing chaos it created, not for its impact on the environment and our climate because it will have none that are lasting.

My colonial in Fairfield, CT went solar in 2012. I produce most of the power that I need each year........7,000 kWh per year. I was able to re-finance my mortgage to get the $12,000 to pay for the solar. I took money from savings, my kid's college education fund, to get the $10,000 for the Federal Income Tax credit on the solar system. The next time I filed my taxes, I got a check from the IRS and replenished the college fund. The solar paid off in late 2018 or early 2019. No more electric bill and thousands of dollars saved each year. The solar can last 40 years easy and NO maintenance and no roof leaks. Super Storm Sandy came 4 months after my solar was installed and no leaks and no movement and no damage to my roof or rafters or the solar panels, wiring or racking system.
My fist EV was leased through VW. It was an E-Golf and the savings in gas (no gas ever) paid for the lease every month and hardly any maintenance. It was fast and quiet. I pulled into my garage after work and plugged into the regular wall electrical socket and was full in the AM. Literally NO change to my monthly cash flow and I got a beautiful new car. BTW: so many bells and whistles!
My 2016 Chevy Volt PHEV (Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) now has over 95,000 miles and over 50% of those miles are all electric. My wife uses this car all weekend to shop and get her hair done and every morning she goes to the gym and no gasoline required.
The car cost $31,000 net.......not too terribly much more than the normal new car sold in USA! AGAIN, very low maintenance cost. AND, when the solar panels on my roof power my car, it cost me 42 cents to travel 25 miles. BTW: if gasoline was priced correctly, carbon/polluting pricing, it would cost ++$5 per gallon or per 25 miles of travel. BTW: The CT Green Bank has had an incredible special on the Nissan Leaf for years.......almost 50% off and no more gasoline to purchase and burn and very low maintenance!
Now, I did stay on the fossil fuel train when I went from oil heat to natural gas heat in 2012. I am not happy that I burn fossil fuels to heat my home. But the savings to my family every year is thousands of dollars and I guess the pollution is less.
The final phase is to put new stronger panels on my roof and get all electric heating.
The new insulation in my home was a no interest loan that is on my electric bill every month for 3 years.......$60 per month. I am pretty certain the cost savings in natural gas to heat my home and electricity to cool my home more than makes up for the $60 per month. After 3 years, I have no insulation installment payment and I just save.
I will be 60 years old when the insulation installment payments are complete and my energy bills will be very, very low. My gasoline bill will be very low too. I will prop up the economy because I will have more $$$$ to spend on things other than dirty fuels.
I have an electric bike and an electric one wheel that fills with sunshine from my solar.....they are so fun to ride/drive. It is so nice to NOT be in a car to go get dogfood at Stop & Shop. It is so nice to say HI to people along the way and blow past cars that are stuck at congested intersections and red lights. I loved my gasoline motorcycle but my Raleigh electric bike is much better for my health and the Planet's.
I hate being a radical ass but....... if we made a law in Connecticut that every car on State or Federal highways and byways (from 6 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 7 pm) must have 2 people in them. The pollution would be half and the congestion would be half. In an instant!
With FB and tweets and insta whatevers, social media..........people can find ride-shares in a millisecond and never, ever be put out. The costs of the morning and evening commutes would tumble......more money for people to spend on other things. More people would chat on the way to work and this World would be a better place.
And talking radical.......no more selling of fossil fuels or the engines that burn them. The economy would thrive. Jobs would be everywhere. Clean factories would be built in the great american Naugatuck Valley and the middle income jobs would be double what they are today.
Capitalism would do it's thing.
Laws are what drive change and once changed, people won't ever look back and they will wonder why they spent thousands of dollars a year polluting the air and water and reducing their own life expectancy and that of their children.
I sell solar panels and clean battery back up generators and EV charging stations. I love the space I am in and saving people money and the Planet at the same time.
The technology is here now and the time is now.
Thank you.

Mass transportation is good for the environment and good for people. The fossil fuel industry has lobbied and propagandized everyone away from the most efficient and enlightened form of transportation in order to peddle WASTE and POLLUTION.

We need to think big to reimagine a sustainable transportation system on earth. What we are doing now no longer works. I fully support the work of TCI's regional policy proposals. We need to set an economic price on pollution. There is already a health price that is not accounted for. We need high speed rail, more commuter trains, improved and more biking trails. We need affordable housing closer to transportation hubs. We need to reimagine how we move on planet earth. Thank you.