2/25/2020 |
Anne |
Damrosch |
retired |
Burlington |
Vermont |
Governor Scott:
Please support the Transportation and Climate Initiative. There is no other issue which is more important. If we don't address the climate crisis all the other efforts... read more Governor Scott:
Please support the Transportation and Climate Initiative. There is no other issue which is more important. If we don't address the climate crisis all the other efforts we make for the well being of Vermonters will be for nought. Vermont should be leading in the effort to solve climate related problems. We do not have time to be lukewarm and measured in our steps. We need to act boldly and with courage. It is time for the brave little state of Vermont to set an example for the nation! Phil Scott, man up, and be the committed leader we need you to be!
Anne Damrosch |
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2/25/2020 |
Maeve |
Power |
Vermonter |
Burlington |
Vermont |
It is so crucial that Vermont joins TCI to reduce carbon emissions from our most polluting sector in a fair and equitable way. It is so crucial that Vermont joins TCI to reduce carbon emissions from our most polluting sector in a fair and equitable way. |
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2/25/2020 |
Emma |
Huvos |
Vermont resident |
Burlington |
Vermont |
I'm confident that joining TCI will improve our transportation system, reduce carbon emissions, and provide an opportunity to better address issues of economic inequality. There are serious... read more I'm confident that joining TCI will improve our transportation system, reduce carbon emissions, and provide an opportunity to better address issues of economic inequality. There are serious costs associated with failing to act, and as a Vermont resident, I know that I'll end up paying TCI’s compliance costs whether or not the governor decides to sign on. TCI isn't a silver bullet, but it's an important step in the right direction, and Vermont should absolutely join. |
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2/25/2020 |
Anne |
Reed |
Marshfield Conservation Commission |
Marshfield |
Vermont |
We have to get off fossil fuels and in this initiative we are doing it in affiliation with surrounding states.it is a win/win for us and the climate. We have to get off fossil fuels and in this initiative we are doing it in affiliation with surrounding states.it is a win/win for us and the climate. |
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2/25/2020 |
Josiah |
Klingler |
Vermonter |
Williamstown |
Vermont |
Vermont really needs to do more to reduce emissions. A carbon tax would be great. Vermont really needs to do more to reduce emissions. A carbon tax would be great. |
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2/25/2020 |
Judi |
McCormick |
Mrs. |
Manchester |
Vermont |
Please vote for Vermont inclusion in the TCI.
Increases in gross domestic product (GDP), disposable personal income (DPI) and employment;
Public health benefits from cleaner... read more Please vote for Vermont inclusion in the TCI.
Increases in gross domestic product (GDP), disposable personal income (DPI) and employment;
Public health benefits from cleaner air valued at $3 billion - $10 billion; and
A 20-25% reduction in greenhouse gas pollution from cars and trucks.
The Vermont-specific benefits include:2
$18 to $80 million in annual revenues to invest in low-carbon transportation options;
More money from the program each year than Vermonters contribute; and
The opportunity to make the state more affordable for low-income and rural Vermonters by lessening dependence on imported, polluting and expensive fossil fuels. |
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2/25/2020 |
Timothy |
O'Dell |
Various unpaid positions for Town of Corinth |
Corinth |
Vermont |
Have become sick & tired of hearing carefully reasoned, public interventions to address market failures WRT unpriced externalities (think: TCI, Essex Plan) framed as nothing more than taxes.... read more Have become sick & tired of hearing carefully reasoned, public interventions to address market failures WRT unpriced externalities (think: TCI, Essex Plan) framed as nothing more than taxes. Both of these proposals included side payments to the vulnerable to soften their landing in a bumpy future. Is no one able to think and talk in terms of net outcomes? You're better than that.
Try to think analogously about this. You acted on gun control legislation because , God forbid, a mass shooting should happen on your watch. The next Irene IS out there, you and I just don't know when and how bad. Trust me, you want to be on record as having excercised some vision and initiative on this one. |
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2/25/2020 |
Jonathan |
Kinnersley |
Independent |
Brattleboro |
Vermont |
Please be forward thinking and adopt measures now which will build a better future.
It is better to invest NOW, to bring us on to a path to a more sustainable future, than to have to pay... read more Please be forward thinking and adopt measures now which will build a better future.
It is better to invest NOW, to bring us on to a path to a more sustainable future, than to have to pay an even bigger bill in the future to try and repair a past filled with inaction. |
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2/25/2020 |
Marcie |
Gallagher |
Environmentalist |
Burlington |
Vermont |
When will be the next time we have an opportunity to substantially reduce GHGs through a regional approach that will financially benefit the State, providing funds to promote climate initiatives... read more When will be the next time we have an opportunity to substantially reduce GHGs through a regional approach that will financially benefit the State, providing funds to promote climate initiatives and ensure equity for low income Vermonters? This is a common-sense policy--lets not miss this chance. |
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2/25/2020 |
Charles |
Lindner |
Mr |
Norwich |
Vermont |
TCI is a critical measure to address the climate emergency. The affordability argument from Governor Scott is a blindered understanding of the financial and human trauma that will result from... read more TCI is a critical measure to address the climate emergency. The affordability argument from Governor Scott is a blindered understanding of the financial and human trauma that will result from inaction on the climate. TCI helps bring our energy money home by reinvesting it in green local alternatives and provides the financial wherewithal to address our biggest challenge, transportation. That it is a multi-state initiative means it will be of significant impact and will put VT in line with all our neighbors, except Governor Sununu. Pass this now. |
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2/25/2020 |
Kit |
Walker |
Independent |
Waterbury Center |
Vermont |
Governor Scott,
Please support the TCI initiative. We owe it to our children and grand children to address the Climate crisis NOW.
No solution is perfect, but action is essential... read more Governor Scott,
Please support the TCI initiative. We owe it to our children and grand children to address the Climate crisis NOW.
No solution is perfect, but action is essential. Let's get going.
Respectfully,
Katherine Walker |
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2/25/2020 |
kevin 050016161 117 wentworth way 301 |
leveret |
none |
white river jct |
Vermont |
Vermont’s House approved HB 688 (the “Global Warming Solutions Act) by a vote of 105-37 on February 20th. They’re also working on the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI). But, Vermont’s a... read more Vermont’s House approved HB 688 (the “Global Warming Solutions Act) by a vote of 105-37 on February 20th. They’re also working on the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI). But, Vermont’s a little State and the atmosphere's a big parcel to fix. We need help from enlightened, national leaders. Trump? (Get serious). Liz warren has plans for that, but Bernie has been vested in climate for a long time & his movement is ready for action! We need to increasingly replace the fossil fuel economy with a renewable-energy based one. We must switch out the good ole boy status-quo politics with a more progressive government. We must disrupt the 1% and embrace the power of the people: We, the People, must bury Big Oil, Big Agriculture, and Big Pharma! |
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2/25/2020 |
Todd |
Dennis |
Resident of Vermont |
Tinmouth |
Vermont |
Hi,
I am a resident of Vermont and I am opposed to the creation of the TCI. I attended a meeting, one of several held around the state, where we were told that this regional... read more Hi,
I am a resident of Vermont and I am opposed to the creation of the TCI. I attended a meeting, one of several held around the state, where we were told that this regional compact was based on another successful regional compact, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). We were lead to believe that RGGI was successful in it's mission and that TCI would be as well by building off these successes. In fact, RGGI has failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but instead has created a tax that emitters pay to emit greenhouse gases. Like most corporate taxes these days the tax ends up being pushed onto consumers, while the benefit of the tax is to support home upgrades to reduce energy usage for heating and cooling, the end result is a failure of it's promoted mission. From the presentation given, it was clear that TCI would do a similar thing by taxing those who import gasoline and diesel into the participating states which would then cause the price at the pump to increase. So the tax on the importers would be passed directly onto consumers. While the mission of TCI is commendable, to reduce the impacts of climate change in the transportation sector and to use the funds raised by the tax to support battery powered and other vehicle purchases by consumers to lower the amount of emissions from the transportation sector. This is an important goal to have and to realize. I am not convinced that creating a bureaucracy to increase taxes which may or not be successful in it's goals is the best solution. Are there alternatives to this approach that can have the same effects? A direct tax at the pumps that is designated for the support of transitioning our vehicle choices away from low mpg and high emissions ones? I am asking for a better and more well-thought out solution or an honest approach to the citizens of those states attempting to join this compact. This is a tax that will be directed onto consumers. Can we accomplish the same things with a direct tax on gasoline and diesel that is set aside in a fund to support this work? The gasoline and diesel market in our state is already a mess with prices much higher in the Chittenden County area even after the main owners of gas stations were sued by the state for price-fixing. Can we trust these people to not price fix when they are passing on a tax to us? A region-wide tax at the pump that is protected for its desired use is a much better way to accomplish our goals and doesn't try and pass off the plan as not a tax when it clearly is a direct tax to anyone who drives a vehicle.
Please oppose TCI until the plan is modified to be truthful to consumers and nullifies any possibility that the monopolies that already cheat consumers to do so in the name of minimizing the impacts of climate change. We must shift our transportation sector away from the use of fossil fuels which will not last forever and have negative impacts on our environment, TCI as it was laid out to the public is not the best way to do this. |
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2/25/2020 |
Kevin |
Bessett |
VT Resident |
Richmond |
Vermont |
Vermont has led the nation in climate-friendly initiatives, and that makes me proud to be a Vermonter. So, with the TCI, it should be a no-brainier that our state joins it.
We must... read more Vermont has led the nation in climate-friendly initiatives, and that makes me proud to be a Vermonter. So, with the TCI, it should be a no-brainier that our state joins it.
We must curtail our usage of fossil fuels. There are varying degrees of opinions on that, which is understandable, but please remember that emissions from burning fossil fuels do not magically disappear in the atmosphere. Add to that the billions and billions of engines, and thousands of power stations generating emissions. The volume of heat-trapping gasses going into the atmosphere is huge. Earth's atmosphere is large, but human needs for transportation and electricity, for example, have exceeded its capacity to withstand the heat-trapping gases we put into it.
As a result, Earth is warming, and weather is changing. People are dying, lands are becoming inhabitable, and extinctions are on the rise. Scary stuff, and there is much data to back it up.
Tough decisions must happen now, and unfortunately, some may financially affect people, but our future is on the line – study after study proves this. The actions we take or do not take now will dictate the fate of all life on Earth. To back up my assertion, watch the Weather Channel for a month or two and track how many times "historic", "unprecedented", "abnormal", and "record" in forecasts and reports.
Vermont must join the TCI.
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2/25/2020 |
Duncan |
McDougall |
Waterbury LEAP |
Waterbury Center |
Vermont |
I am writing in strong support of Vermont's participation in the Transportation and Climate Initiative.
Vermont has set aggressive, but entirely appropriate, goals for... read more I am writing in strong support of Vermont's participation in the Transportation and Climate Initiative.
Vermont has set aggressive, but entirely appropriate, goals for emissions reduction and the movement away from fossil fuels. These goals have been accepted by the state and by Governor Scott. But as things now stand those goals a like a fairy tale -- something that entertains the reader, but nothing that is actually real.
Our state is FAR behind on the goals it has set to help us fight climate change. Our country is FAR behind on taking positive steps to fight climate change. My and your children and grandchildren will end up paying the price for this inaction.
TCI would represent a significant step forward in turning Vermont's current climate change fairy tale into reality. This cap and invest program covers the electric sector in the Northeast. It has proven very successful, reducing consumer costs and carbon pollution from the power sector by 40%.
Transportation is the one area where we can make the biggest difference in the most important issue of our time.
On behalf of our children and grandchildren I hope Vermont will formally join TCI.
Thank you,
Duncan McDougall |
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2/25/2020 |
Natalee |
Braun |
350VT, Labor Climate Committee, Peace and Justice Center |
Essex |
Vermont |
As a psychologist working primarily with the next generation, I know firsthand young people's significant concerns about the health of our planet. For that reason and in view of my... read more As a psychologist working primarily with the next generation, I know firsthand young people's significant concerns about the health of our planet. For that reason and in view of my longstanding climate justice activism, I urge Vermont to participate in the Transportation and Climate Initiative. I shudder to think what accrual of environmental degradation is required for us to face the reality that this is a pivotal moment in our history - we need to act decisively now. Volunteers with 350VT and other climate justice organizatons are working steadily to address the challenge of transportation, our most carbon intensive sector, and TCI provides an excellent structure for reducing emissions while providing funding for a transportation infrastructure that reflects the need for a radical reduction in greenhouse gasses. Let's do it in a big way!
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2/25/2020 |
Lori |
Roberts |
constituent |
Colchester |
Vermont |
I support the TCI and I hope you will too. I plan on purchasing/leasing an electric vehicle within the next 2 years in support of the move away from carbon-producing fossil fuel vehicles to... read more I support the TCI and I hope you will too. I plan on purchasing/leasing an electric vehicle within the next 2 years in support of the move away from carbon-producing fossil fuel vehicles to protect our environment. |
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2/25/2020 |
Laurene |
Cochran |
Vermont state resident |
Guilford |
Vermont |
Governor Scott should join the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Vermonters will end up paying whether or not we join the program, and there's a good chance if the state does join that... read more Governor Scott should join the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Vermonters will end up paying whether or not we join the program, and there's a good chance if the state does join that we will end up receiving back more for investment than we put into it. The governor could use the proceeds from it to help low income Vermonters. We're in the midst of a climate emergency. We need to do everything we can to reduce carbon pollution, and the TCI will lead to a 25% reduction in transportation emissions by 2032 - not enough but certainly a step in the right direction. |
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2/25/2020 |
Paul |
Burns |
Vermonter |
Montpelier |
Vermont |
I believe that Vermont should join the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Joining TCI is not the only thing we need to do now to address the climate crisis, but it is one important step we... read more I believe that Vermont should join the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Joining TCI is not the only thing we need to do now to address the climate crisis, but it is one important step we must take. And it will not only bring climate and economic benefits to our state; it will improve our transportation system and reduce air pollution as well. |
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2/25/2020 |
Don |
Smith |
retired |
st johnsbury |
Vermont |
Even if I have to pay a little more for fuel to get our carbon release down & eventually eliminated i will do that. It's one of those deals where PAY NOW OR PAY LATTER so it must be done... read more Even if I have to pay a little more for fuel to get our carbon release down & eventually eliminated i will do that. It's one of those deals where PAY NOW OR PAY LATTER so it must be done. If I have to reduce my transport to fewer trips I'll do it!
In the end, even though no one wants to say it we will all need to get by with less.
MOTHER EARTH SAYS NOW YOU MUST PAY FOR ALL THE YEARS OF TAKING & GIVING LITTLE. |
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