TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

I recently became aware of the Transportation and Climate Initiative and am writing to you to voice my thanks and support for our continued participation. Climate change is an extremely urgent matter that we must act on immediately to stop and try to reverse. Reducing vehicle pollution is a key element of any greenhouse gas reduction strategy.

I thank you, Governor Baker, for your leadership on climate change. I heard you on Boston Public Radio today and believe you are a champion on fighting for our climate.

We must aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the commonwealth. Rush hour traffic in our area adds to pollution as thousands of cars creep through our town on their clogged commutes. Expansion of public transportation in communities like mine that are outside the MBTA bus and train routes would be a great help. Increased incentives for electric vehicles and investment in infrastructure to increase the availability of vehicle charging stations would be very helpful as well.

Thank you,
Nicola Payne
Sudbury, MA

I am strongly in opposition to enacting ADDITIONAL taxes on fuels in my region. Maine is responsible for extremely little air pollution; we are already taxed nearly to the breaking point. This is viewed as punitive in my area, and a do-nothing proposition merely to allow politicians to collect and 'redistribute' money in order to buy more votes. It is political drivel that will hurt the working poor, quite badly.
Don't do it.

I fully support the development of more efficient, low carbon transportation. It is way past time for developing clean, modern transportation solutions. These efforts will stimulate the economy, create jobs, improve our lives, and help clean up our environment. I hope the policy will have a strong equity component and prioritize clean investments in areas most burdened by pollution and without access to public transportation. The bipartisan nature of this project makes me more hopeful for the future. The states need to take us forward since the current federal is taking us backward.

Unless we reduce pollution the planet is not going to survive. I will, I am old but my children and my grand children may not. Please do something!

Governor Scott, please ignore what those folks across the CT river might do and get Vt solidly behind the REGGI transportation initiative. We need you to get us there! Thank you, Gus Speth

The vehicles from Diesel Brothers TV show and the like, truck pulling. tractor pulling, monster trucks, mudbog trucks, all levels of race cars, trucks, and motorcycles, and all home/shop built vehicles must be made to meet all EPA regulations the same as streetcars/trucks. There can be no exceptions. The argument is well, they are specialty vehicles and should be exempt. Never, they must, in the near future, be held to a much higher standard.

I urge Vermont to take aggressive action to transform its energy system to 100% renewable energy (wind, solar, responsible hydro NOT biomass) and incentivize the adoption of 100% electric vehicles (including trucks) throughout the state. The majority of Vermont’s CO2 emissions come from transportation. It’s time to electrify all state employee vehicle fleets, farm equipment (as it becomes available) and personal vehicles and implement a CARBON TAX (drawing capital from the state’s wealthiest residents). The cost of making these changes pales in comparison to the cost of doing nothing and dealing with the catastrophic consequences of climate change. Thank you.

Massachusetts voters defeated an automatic gas tax increase a few years ago and now the bureaucrats and political hacks want to push this through by fiat without a public vote. How typical of the ruling elites on Bacon Hill to circumvent the will of the people. Massachusetts residents already pay too much in gas taxes for so poor a return - our roads are riddled with potholes and are in hideous shape. Undoubtedly the money generated by this so-called initiative will disappear through corruption and taxpayers will be asked to pay more, again. If this new tax is forced upon the public without their voting on it, it must and will be challenged in court