TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

My two major concerns are Lake Champlain and other bodies of water, and air quality - particularly in Burlington.

The degradation of Lake Champlain due to road runoff, sewage spill, algae and farming practices, as well as Vermont's
lakes and rivers, is deeply concerning.

The concentration on roads and parking lots at the expense of solutions such as light rail and rail connecting Vermont is repeating
the past and compounding present problems.

My family has only one car (a hybrid) and uses it relatively infrequently as we can walk, bike or bus most places in town. We would get rid of our vehicle altogether if it were possible to get bus or train service to various places in roughly 5 hrs driving distance (Portland, ME or Western Mass, for example). Currently our only public transit options depart Burlington at 3am (Greyhound) or 4pm (Megabus), both of which are disruptive to travel plans with small children. Our inability to get to and from other cities within Vermont (except by the commuter buses, which run so infrequently that they are not useful for errand running or partial day outings) is another factor. I would love to see the region develop a more robust public transit system between towns, preferably at hours that are convenient not just for those working a 9-5 job, but to accomodate tourists and traveling families.

Tailpipe exhaust is a major source of air pollution in Vermont. Auto ownership is a financial burden, and vehicle accidents have disrupted or ended too many lives. We need transportation choices, and development that coordinates with them!

I strongly support TCI. Climate Change is the number one challenge for our times. if we don't address it, all other measures we take to improve the lives of the people of New England will be for nothing. Future generations depend on us to take this action as one step forward.

Thank you,

Anne Damrosch

Transportation is the number one source of climate pollution in the United States. We need to cut transportation pollution drastically, and that means in my own state, Massachusetts, working with other states in the East Coast region.

Governors of these states should ensure that any transportation plan is comprehensive and strong enough to cut harmful transportation pollution at the scale needed to avert the climate crisis, because TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

Their plan should use cap-and-invest to hold large transportation polluters accountable for the pollution they create and to invest in clean transportation solutions including:
- More public transit and electric vehicle infrastructure in rural areas
- Expansion of commuter rail, electric vehicles, and streets in the suburbs that are walkable and bikeable
- Sustainable housing near transit and electric bus fleets in urban communities

Thank you for listening.

I attended the TCI meeting in Burlington, and I support the Transportation and Climate Initiative, as one of hopefully many measures to mitigate carbon emissions in Vermont. I believe that the ensuing climate crisis is the greatest threat we face today, so it impacts all of my political decision-making. The Transportation and Climate Initiative seems like it would be a sound economic device to reduce transportation emissions, especially since Vermont would be working in conjunction with other larger, more populous states. I think TCI would be most powerful in Vermont if investments were used to mitigate economic impacts on lower-income and rural residents, who are likely to be disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, or to expand other transit options to rural areas. As someone who used to live in a more rural part of the state, car-dependency often felt like a millstone. Investment of funds sourced from TCI into expanded public transit across the state would, in my opinion, expand opportunities for more Vermont residents.

Governor Scott, please let Vermont join this organization for the love of the earth!
Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) states are developing a regional policy for low-carbon transportation following the December 18, 2018, statement by nine states and Washington DC committing to:

“…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.”