TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

The Transportation Climate Initiative is necessary but not sufficient policy to address the challenge of climate change mitigation.
All economic sectors must be represented to make real climate progress. Comprehensive carbon reduction measures are ready to implement in the next year-decade time frame. The political will must follow the public will to act on climate protection.

I am very concerned about the 2022 start, gradually phased implementation of TCI, and lagging outcome of consumer behavior change.

No time can be spared, with the climate bomb detonated in every part of the world. We can't escape the manifold and epic changes already baked into our physical, chemical and biological systems by excess carbon and greenhouse gas accumulation to date, much less buffer todays and tomorrows additional emissions.

At a minimum MA must adopt statewide comprehensive carbon pricing; targeted emission reductions to net zero asap; and no burning of carbon to supply "renewable" electricity. Even as MA and region negotiate a transportation agreement, all minds are simultaneously called to brainstorm and implement cross-sector emissions reduction.

TCI must not lull our regional authorities into complacency. In each jurisdiction we must act in concert with TCI planning, boldly and ambitiously, without delay. The time is past to dither. Legislation to bond this cost, rather than make direct investment in real time, is absurd and unconscienable. Blackrock financial just committed their trillions to sustainable investment; so must public investment be redirected. Business as usual cedes to business with future welfare included in the calculus.

We lead as individuals, communities, businesses and government. No waiting time exists. All exertion to reduce this highest risk to all, this existential threat to life in this geologic epoch, is belated. The house is on fire. Each day brings a new sense of emergency, in all parts of this imperiled life support system. We're in the ICU and heading into hospice.

TCI and climate protection needs to care for the vulnerable. An estimated billion animals died in Australia, over these past months of unprecedented change amidst a politically reckless, reeking, wreckage of landscape, habitat, and civilization. No corporate energy monetary profits can be justified, nor can their assets afford to redeem or compensate for THIS LOSS ALONE, the massive scale of wildfire extinction and destruction. The shame is what could have happened, what our kids future might have been, had leaders listened to scientists rather than campaign financier propagandists, since 1988. Stop politically blockading and braking clean energy progress.

The Massachusetts Joint TUE committee heard H.2810 Act to Promote Green Infrastructure and Reduce Carbon Emissions on Tuesday 1/14/20. This is the gold standard for equitable carbon pricing for TCI to follow. It addressed buildings carbon emissions, not just transportation. We need to move on both sectors, as we accelerate non-carbon emitting electricity generation, and decelerate conventional energy production, transmission, and market monopolization.

Please act on all aspects of greenhouse gas mitigation, before all is lost, here and everywhere.

I am strongly in favor of the TCI and urge Massachusetts to implement it regardless of how many other states join now vs. join later.

The TCI should apply to ALL transportation fossil fuels including for personal cars, company cars and vans, corporate fleets, on-demand transportation (taxis, etc.), delivery vans, trucking, freight trains, municipal and state-owned vehicles, federal vehicles within the geographic scope of the TCI, mass transit vehicles -- including ferries and school buses -- whether public or private, personal watercraft, fishing boats, cruise ships, freight shipping, other freshwater and saltwater transportation, aircraft of all kinds including drones, and all other fossil fuel use for transportation.

The goal of the TCI isn't to stop people from traveling, but rather to shift people toward lower carbon transportation. Many people currently have no alternative to driving. As a matter of equity, it's important for much of the monies raised by TCI to be applied to rebates and subsidies for electric or plug-in hybrids especially in rural areas, for public transit everywhere, and where possible, for small businesses both on-shore and in local waters. As a further matter of equity, we should take some of the cost savings from improved health due to reduced fossil pollution and apply it to further assist people who are hit hardest by fuel price increases due to the TCI, whether through additional support for greener transportation and mass transportation, or in other ways such as increased health care subsidies.

Climate change is a huge problem. The TCI is just one part of the solution. We should implement the TCI while also implementing many other solutions. Preferably some that bear fruit faster than the TCI, since Massachusetts is faltering right now due to slow and failing transportation.

We spend two weekends each year up on the Maine seacoast in Ogunquit. Living in western MA, we don't really have an option except for cars. It would certainly be terrific is someone could figure out an east-west rail line here in MA. If it could be linked to a faster tri[ from Boston to Maine, that would be great too.

The Northeast region needs to set an overall limit on pollution from transportation through a regional “cap-and-invest” program, similar to the program the region implemented for electricity-related emissions. This program would begin to hold oil companies accountable for their emissions and provide funding for clean mobility for Northeast residents.

This is no longer a luxury — we need to enact bold change.

It is through actions like these that we in the Northeast can show the whole country that we can lead again. We can create a better, cleaner transportation system for Northeast residents through investments in public transportation and new technologies such as electric vehicles.

I strongly support greater regulation of pollution coming from transportation. I believe in addition to this regulation, however, we need to focus on creating a larger, better, and more affordable public transit infrastructure to help combat single-person contribution to this issue.

Emissions from so many polluting cars not only causes rising temperatures but also has caused higher rates of asthma -- especially among kids. The rates of asthma have increased at my kids school --more kids needing inhalers! Reducing emissions will directly help improve kids lives now and in their future.

Regional policy has really helped in the electricity sector. We need additional funds and policies to upgrade public transportation and low CO2 means of transportation -- EV cars and busses.

The Transportation and Climate Initiative is a major step in helping improving our kids lives.

Thank you.

Love the bipartisan approach to solving huge issues with traffic and emissions. So many people go the same places, why do we have to do it individually? Public transportation in cities works; between cities will work as well. Instead of fighting each other let's ride and relax together when we can. We have (or are developing) the technology-- let's move from the past into the future!