TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Material submitted through the TCI Public Input form from April 2019-February 2021 is viewable here. View input submitted from March 1, 2021 forward here. All material submitted on this page informed the participating jurisdictions in the 2019-2020 TCI regional policy design process. Click on the column headings to sort the submissions.

Date	First	Last	Affiliation	City	State	Input	File
2/28/2020	Karen	Matheson	Sierra	Berlin	Maryland	I'm in support of the Transportation and Climate Initiative to provide cleaner transportation that I believe is necessary to address the issue of climate change. read more I'm in support of the Transportation and Climate Initiative to provide cleaner transportation that I believe is necessary to address the issue of climate change.	-
12/5/2019	Daniel	McLaughlin	independant	Berkley	Massachusetts	I am opposed to this automatic tax increase on fuel. We are to be charged a carbon tax, how do we get a carbon credit? I own over two acres of land which is 95% tree covered, that should more... read more I am opposed to this automatic tax increase on fuel. We are to be charged a carbon tax, how do we get a carbon credit? I own over two acres of land which is 95% tree covered, that should more than adequately cover my carbon emissions. People driving electric cars, which pollute at the power generation plant, would not pay anything? This is just another money grab. Massachusetts currently has a budget surplus of one billion dollars, put it aside as an endowment to fund climate initiatives and stop increasing costs to taxpayers.	-
2/13/2020	Maria	Van Dusen	ELM	Berkeley	California	I support this initiative as a practical and needed way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. I am now using an electric bike for my errands and buses and subways for longer distances. I am... read more I support this initiative as a practical and needed way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. I am now using an electric bike for my errands and buses and subways for longer distances. I am pleased to not need to buy another car and hope changes in transportation infrastructure will make this possible for others as well.	-
1/16/2020	Larry	Seymour	Benton Township, Lackawanna County, PA	Benton Township	Pennsylvania	While I lack the expertise to suggest "the how", I urge that we collectively work for the reduction of emissions. The heavy truck traffic on the interstate highway passing along the... read more While I lack the expertise to suggest "the how", I urge that we collectively work for the reduction of emissions. The heavy truck traffic on the interstate highway passing along the eastern boundary of our township noticeably affects our air quality. Personally, it seems obvious to me that a large part of the solution must include the shift of an increasing percentage of goods, particularly those travelling long distances, from truck to rail. Thank you both for your efforts and consideration of the needs of rural, as well as urban, populations.	-
2/26/2020	Cathy & Barry	Beck	BCBeck Photography	Benton	Pennsylvania	Please support the TCI (Transportation and Climate Initiative, which will set a cap on carbon emissions to reduce pollution from gas-guzzling cars, buses, and trucks. We feel it is very important... read more Please support the TCI (Transportation and Climate Initiative, which will set a cap on carbon emissions to reduce pollution from gas-guzzling cars, buses, and trucks. We feel it is very important for us to transition away from dirty fossil fuels while at the same time invest in clean reliable public transportation options. We need to clean up our air!	-
1/16/2020	daniel	Dayton	father, grandfather,	bensalem	Pennsylvania	i live just outside philadelphia, myself, two of my four kids, at least four of my six and a half grands, and an inlaw have either asthma or breathing problems, as a retiree i need to use septa... read more i live just outside philadelphia, myself, two of my four kids, at least four of my six and a half grands, and an inlaw have either asthma or breathing problems, as a retiree i need to use septa for my self and the grands to doctors, etc; a bipartisan, multistate, widespread transportation system is desperately needed; a clean system would reduce pollution, a widespread one would allow many more people to get to work, medical appointments, recreational venues, etc; i want pennsylvania to join with the other mid atlantic and north eastern states in such a plan. thank you.	-
2/24/2020	Daniel	Dayton	Rider	Bensalem	Pennsylvania	The t c initiative would help reduce pollution, expand local and regional transport options, allow for more and cleaner options in transport, and choosing aggressive greenhouse options would... read more The t c initiative would help reduce pollution, expand local and regional transport options, allow for more and cleaner options in transport, and choosing aggressive greenhouse options would significantly help address climate deterioration.	-
2/26/2020	Annie	McCann	EDF	Bensalem	Pennsylvania	Reduce carbon emissions. We need clean energy plans only!!! Reduce carbon emissions. We need clean energy plans only!!!	-
11/4/2019	David	Durfee	Climate Advocates of Bennington affiliate of 350 Vermont	Bennington	Vermont	Prevention of the most disastrous effects of climate heating requires the equitable, coordinated, action of millions of people backed by the authority of government.Single states by themselves are... read more Prevention of the most disastrous effects of climate heating requires the equitable, coordinated, action of millions of people backed by the authority of government.Single states by themselves are not enough.A national effort would be best, but is impossible under the current administration. Mutual effort, support, among groups of states is probably the best we can hope for and would produce mutual benefits for them.	-
2/8/2020	Bruce	Lierman	Bennington County Regional Commission	Bennington	Vermont	Every living former Federal Reserve chair, dozens of Nobel laureates, and chief economists from both Democratic and Republican administrations, have all signed an open letter calling for taxes on... read more Every living former Federal Reserve chair, dozens of Nobel laureates, and chief economists from both Democratic and Republican administrations, have all signed an open letter calling for taxes on emissions of greenhouse gases. In my understanding, the Transportation and Climate Initiative's cap-and-invest strategy is an even more effective way to reduce the damage being caused to our economy and environment by our continued dependency on fossil fuels for transportation. And why? Because paying for the oil, and the subsidies we pay directly and indirectly to oil companies, costs us in Vermont over 2 Billion dollars a year that goes out of this economy. And the only return we get is in the form of earnings of stockholders in oil companies. If national averages on stock ownership are applied to Vermont, that means 80 percent of Vermonters get no return from the 649 Billion dollars we in the US have paid to oil companies in subsidies, to provide to us with a toxic product at an artificially low price. One of the most common objections to the TCI is that it is seen as a regressive tax. If you're going to talk about regressive taxes, here is a regressive tax; the hidden taxes we all pay for fossil fuel production. With TCI, we would at least be able to decide how the charges we add to fossil fuels can be progressively redistributed to help those most dependent on these fuels, those most impacted by their externalized costs. As an economic issue, this is an action we can take to redress some of the absurd subsidies we pay to oil companies to pollute our air and soils, and to reverse Vermont’s dependency on these damaging products. I share the caution expressed by some politicians concerning the explicit final details of the agreement. However, our response to these concerns must be to work now to make sure the agreement meets our energy goals. I urge our representatives in these discussions to stay engaged, and to focus on the highest objectives of the program, not short-term political expediency. The TCI represents our best opportunity to make real change and exert control over our energy future.	-
2/24/2020	Peter	Souza	member	Bennington	Vermont	“…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... read more “…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.”, stop burning coal! youd be better of burning trash! we want solar and wind! electric cars must be made affordable!	-
2/27/2020	barb	schneiders	retired	Bennington	Vermont	fight climate change. we all need to do our part. fight climate change. we all need to do our part.	-
2/28/2020	Jerry	Byrd	Healing Arts Farm	Bennington	Vermont	Personally I am surprised that there is any hesitation on the part of the Vermont government to move forward with the TCI proposal when it partners states in the northeast to take a stand and move... read more Personally I am surprised that there is any hesitation on the part of the Vermont government to move forward with the TCI proposal when it partners states in the northeast to take a stand and move forward on climate issues that are in a state of emergency. Denmark nation wide is on schedule to reduce its carbon by 70% by 2030. The Netherlands is close behind, where is Vermont when it come to leading this nation in changing our ancient power producing methods. It is past the time for hesitation move us forward with our neighbors to get this project in place by 2022. Look at GreenIsland DK if you any questions. What kind of business climate could we have if our power costs 70% less. You could say goodbye to tax incentives and have a skilled work force installing Green Power as both Denmark and the Netherlands are doing NOW. Please feel free to contact me regarding Green Island DK as I am in conversation with one of their designers.	-
11/2/2019	Rita	Hansen	Onboard Dynamics, Inc.	Bend	Oregon	Please see attached letter - Onboard Dynamics TCI Comments on Framework - Nov 4 2019. Thank you, Rita Hansen Please see attached letter - Onboard Dynamics TCI Comments on Framework - Nov 4 2019. Thank you, Rita Hansen	Onboard Dynamics TCI Comments on Framework - Nov 4 2019.pdf
2/27/2020	Rita	Hansen	Onboard Dynamics, Inc.	Bend	Oregon	February 24, 2020 Ms. Kathleen Theoharides, Chair Transportation & Climate Initiative of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States Georgetown Climate Center 600... read more February 24, 2020 Ms. Kathleen Theoharides, Chair Transportation & Climate Initiative of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States Georgetown Climate Center 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 Dear Secretary Theoharides: My name is Rita Hansen and I am the CEO of Onboard Dynamics, Inc., an early phase company and a spinout from Oregon State University that provides novel compression technology to enable the use of natural gas and renewable natural gas as a transportation fuel. I appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI) Draft Memorandum of Understanding of the Transportation and Climate Initiative and I commend TCI’s goals of equity, environmental justice, non-discrimination and meaningful public participation as it develops and implements a regional policy for transportation emissions reductions. Onboard Dynamics endorses strategies that support the transition to low-carbon transportation fuels, including geologic and renewable natural gas. Converting the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions’ heavy- and medium-duty freight and transit transportation network to natural gas provides a readily available, proven and cost-effective solution to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon transportation future. Further, cap-and-invest program resources invested in natural gas technologies would significantly and immediately benefit all communities by maximizing the displacement of older, higher emitting trucks and buses, including those higher emitting vehicles that operate in communities that are underserved by current transportation options and overburdened by urban pollution. Cleaner Air Starts with Cleaner Trucks and Buses Increased use of natural gas as a transportation fuel provides immediate and significant criteria and toxic air pollutant reductions. Fact: the cleanest commercially available heavy-duty engine in the world is powered by natural gas now and for the foreseeable future. Designed, built, and manufactured in America by Cummins Westport, this engine is certified to a 0.02 g/bhp-hr. standard, making it 90 percent cleaner than the EPA’s current NOx emissions requirement and 90 percent cleaner than the cleanest diesel engine. And in real-life study, these engines emitted lower NOx emissions than certified. Replacing just one traditional diesel-burning heavy-duty truck with one new Ultra Low-NOx natural gas truck is the emissions equivalent of removing 119 traditional combustion engine cars off our roads. Heavy-duty equals heavy impact. Carbon-Neutral/Negative Freight with RNG Natural gas engines offer significant climate change benefits. Compared to diesel, natural gas engines fueled with geologic natural gas reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions by at least 12 percent. When fueled with renewable natural gas (RNG or biomethane) captured from agricultural, food, landfill or wastewater, even greater CO2 and greenhouse gas benefits are achieved, up to 331 percent lower than diesel. Fueling with RNG is carbon-neutral, even carbon-negative, depending on the feed stock as shown below. No better commercially available and deployable alternative fuel option currently exists for the heavy-duty sector. CARBON INTENSITY of TRANSPORTATION FUELS (EER-Adjusted) <Please see the attachment for the chart inserted here.> Address Noise Pollution Natural gas vehicle technology affordably addresses noise pollution in urban neighborhoods. A U.S. Department of Energy study identified significant noise reduction benefits as a motivator for many refuse collection truck operators in accepting the technology, citing up to 10 decibels quieter than their diesel counterparts. A 2016 in-use study of diesel and CNG urban transit buses in Serbia found considerable reductions in noise pollution when powered by CNG. Invest Impactfully – Emissions Reductions using Cost Effective Solutions Investments in Ultra Low-NOx Near Zero emission natural gas vehicle technologies greatly impact communities, especially the underserved and marginalized communities in metropolitan and industrial areas. With vehicle costs close to that of diesel and fuel price differentials of up to $1.50 less than diesel per DGE, natural gas transportation provides the largest and most cost-effective reductions in transportation-related pollutants than any other powertrain option commercially available today or near-term. UPS, Waste Management, Republic Services, Los Angeles World Airports Buses, City of Los Angeles, City of Fresno Transit, LA Metro Transit, New York’s Hunts Point fleet Industries and many other fleets recognize the exponential impact of using RNG for emissions reductions and their improving business’ bottom line. In May of 2019 UPS announced that it will purchase 170 million gallon equivalents over 7 years that will reduce GHG emissions by more than 1 million metric tons, and in October UPS announced the order of 6000 heavy duty NGV RNG trucks to double the size of their NGV fleet. In February 2020, UPS increased their RNG commitment to a total of 250 million-gallon equivalents over 7 years. Meanwhile, Waste Management has converted approximately 9,000 of its 17,000 collection vehicles to natural gas, resulting in the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet of its kind in North America. Over 40 percent of Waste Management’s natural gas fleet currently is fueled with RNG produced from landfill biogas, supporting its long-term strategy of creating a near-zero emissions collection fleet. RNG already fuels more than 32% of the over 175,000 NGVs in the U.S. today, and a growing number of fleets are taking advantage of vehicles that are available now at comparable life cycle costs to diesel vehicles and that provide transformational GHG and tailpipe emissions reductions. As such, investments in RNG-fueled trucks and transit buses accessing ports, cities, and densely populated neighborhoods are the most immediate and fiscally responsible investment to clean our air and combat climate change. Communities get more clean vehicles having greater clean air and climate impact for the money with natural gas than with any other alternative fuel option, especially electric. No other transportation fuel is as sustainable, adaptive, and competitive across all applications and vehicle classes. And heavy-duty natural gas trucks are not demonstration science projects; they are proven, scalable, and on U.S. roads today. We will not meet emissions reduction goals or time frames without using natural gas. Natural Gas Pays Its Way and Provides Economic Opportunity Natural gas fueling pays into the federal highway trust fund and is ready-right-now technology. It is road-tested and backed by a mature network of manufacturers, servicers, and suppliers coast-to-coast. An established refueling infrastructure of 2,000 stations already exists. It is also important to note that while 34 U.S. states produce geologic natural gas, the potential to produce RNG exists in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia by taking the problem of fugitive methane gas created from organic waste, capturing it, then using it to fuel traditionally heavy-carbon freight and transit transportation applications. In addition to its clean air and climate benefits, the development of RNG facilities also supports the agriculture industry with new revenue streams, addresses many cities’ solid waste issues, and impacts watershed management efforts and nitrogen runoff concerns. With these positives, the demand for RNG production is growing and new RNG facility development projects are increasing rapidly. 100% Domestic Fuels Geologic and renewable natural gas are 100 percent domestic fuels, unlike limited electric vehicle battery components that are controlled by foreign interests and mostly sourced from conflict countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and China. The U.S. EPA recognizes the value of RNG and includes it in the EPA Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) federal incentive. Similarly, several states have implemented low carbon fuel standards (LCFS) that promote the use of RNG and other renewable fuels. More than four in ten Americans live in communities with dangerously dirty air. According to the American Lung Association, that number continues to rise, from 125 million in 2017 to nearly 141.1 million today. Cap-and-invest program investments in natural gas vehicle technologies offer the most proven, cost-effective, and immediate way to promote a low carbon transportation future, clean our air, and provide more affordable, accessible, and reliable transportation opportunities for marginalized and underserved communities. As the TCI states in the Draft MOU, a regional program “addresses the urgent need to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful pollutants generated by the transportation sector” which I fully agree with and offer that natural gas vehicles, especially those using RNG must be a key component to any TCI strategy if these reductions are to occur in any reasonable time frame and improving the areas of greatest need. Thank you for your consideration, and please contact me at rita.hansen@onboarddynamics.com or 206.291.3206 with any comments or questions. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Rita Hansen CEO	Onboard Dynamics TCI MOU - 24FEB2020.pdf
2/22/2020	Ellen	Baer	Private Citizen	Beltsville	Maryland	I have been experimenting with public transportation as an alternitive to driving and I find mass transportation is not a practical way to travel. To get people to get out of there cars, public... read more I have been experimenting with public transportation as an alternitive to driving and I find mass transportation is not a practical way to travel. To get people to get out of there cars, public transportation has become simpler and faster. In the Washington DC area buses to the Metro Stations would need to come more frequently and there need to be more bus routes that take people from one suburb to another. It takes me between 1.5 to two hours and several transfersto go from Beltsville to Bethesda (a half hour trip by car) via mass transit. Perhaps a bus lane could be added to the beltway (495) and a circute bus route could go around the beltway with stops at each beltway exit. Bike share stations should be available at all metro stations to take commuters the "last mile home." In the DC metro area bus ridership is down and subway ridership is down. If buses came as frequently as subway trains I am sure bus ridership would increase. Also could private companies be encoured to use vans or buses to make private bus lines to augment publicly funded mass transit?	-
12/1/2019	Nancy	Allen	Overburdened taxpayer	Belmont	Massachusetts	The TCI is designed to force a massive change on American standard of living under the phony guise of climate change. It's an illegal tax on Americans to force them to give up cars. And... read more The TCI is designed to force a massive change on American standard of living under the phony guise of climate change. It's an illegal tax on Americans to force them to give up cars. And without cars, they'll be forced to live in crowded urban cities in very small quarters due to the lack of supply and overregulations. This is part of the UN's Agenda 2030 where “governments, international organizations, the business sector and other non-state actors and individuals must contribute to changing unsustainable consumption and production patterns … to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production.” And how to interpret that? Well, we have this quote from the late billionaire Maurice Strong, an UN environmental guru. “It is clear that current lifestyles and consumption patterns of the affluent middle-class … involving high meat intake, consumption of large amounts of frozen and ‘convenience’ foods, ownership of motor vehicles, numerous electrical appliances, home and workplace air-conditioning ... expensive suburban housing … are not sustainable.” And there you have it, the real reason why these initiatives are being implemented. Local govts have devolved into ideological idiocracies, incapable of coherent, logical planning. Instead of destroying the middle class, how about finally tackling pension reform, shrinking govt, eliminating waste and fraud to find money to spend on infrastruture projects? Massachusetts is spending millions on illegal immigrants, too, money that could be used for far better purposes. We reject any effort to impoverish us to suit the globalists' agenda.	-
12/9/2019	Joseph	Picone	Independent	Belmont	Massachusetts	Let's get something straight at the outset. The TCI is a TAX and it's a tax on all of us who use gasoline (which is just about everyone). TCI is also a corrupt scam that bypasses the... read more Let's get something straight at the outset. The TCI is a TAX and it's a tax on all of us who use gasoline (which is just about everyone). TCI is also a corrupt scam that bypasses the legislative process and the will of the people and puts it in the hands of unaccountable bureaucrats all for the sake of stealing money to line their pockets and pay for their "Pet Projects" such as transportation agencies that couldn't run a childs train set, never mind a public transit system. Let's get something else straight . There have been at least 5 ice ages in Earths history and they all happened before mans existence here. In between these ice age periods there were global warm ups that happened without carbon emitting humans or industry on the planet. Man caused "climate change"; global warming; global cooling; climate catastrophe, WHATEVER these climate "kooks" are calling it this week is a total fraud, perpetrated to steal taxpayer money. We need to wake up as a people and stop falling for it. Our gas taxes should be funding the building and repair of our highways, roads, bridges and tunnels ONLY. Nothing else.	-
1/17/2020	Aviva	Brecher	retired research scientist and policy planner	Belmont	Massachusetts	This is an excellent and comprehensive bottom-up regional initiative, but it cannot supplant the necessary comprehensive and overarching national clean transportation policy and regulations.... read more This is an excellent and comprehensive bottom-up regional initiative, but it cannot supplant the necessary comprehensive and overarching national clean transportation policy and regulations. States must continue to press Congress and the Administration to recognize and address the acute and interlinked climate change, energy and transportation crisis. More emphasis is needed on a smooth transition to clean energy sources for transportation vehicles and to rebuilding decayed infrastructure, or developing and deploying new infrastructure, such as chargers for electric buses and cars.	-
1/27/2020	Paul	Kelley	Mass Audubon	Belmont	Massachusetts	I am excited to see a high-impact, regional approach to tackling carbon emissions moving forward. The short, one-year timeline is also a great addition as these policies and actions need to be... read more I am excited to see a high-impact, regional approach to tackling carbon emissions moving forward. The short, one-year timeline is also a great addition as these policies and actions need to be implemented ASAP! Thanks, Paul Kelley	-

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