TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

We need a bold and ambitious plan to cut transportation pollution in our country and state. Please create such a plan.

Many people will not be able to afford a tax on gas and without a guarantee that this increase won’t continue we could easily be paying far more than the proposed tax hike in the future driving is not a privilege anymore regardless of what the police say when u lose your license . Unless u live in the city it can be almost impossible to get to work on a daily basis which is undue burden on many people who are low or even middle income.. although I understand that this new tax hike is aiming to help it will only hurt and hinder those who already have driving or income barriers already in place in their life.... With that said to even try to pass this through while bypassing our legislative representation is unconstitutional, also I’m tired of our elected officials passing laws and tax hikes that don’t effect them or their families while the underrepresented are left to fend for themselves after the fact... please think of all those who could be pushed into poverty from gas tax hikes like these. Once one tax is pushed through without the proper channels being used it will only become easier to push more through in the future

Extinctions, floods and fires are absolute evidence of catastrophic climate change. Having let the politics of profit fritter away earlier efforts to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels, at this late date we need to do everything we can to both eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and greatly increase carbon sequestration if we are to survive. To reduce emissions without compromising nature's sequestration capabilities, responsibly produced solar, wind and hydro electricity must replace fossil fuels in transportation.

Our transportation system has become completely outdated. It needs a modernization urgently, and we need to raise taxes to do it. The infrastructure we need cannot be built without increasing funding dramatically. We have learned that transportation issues can't be solved by building more highways, and global warming has taught us that we urgently need to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. Please prioritize an overhaul of our train and commuter rail systems and increase bus routes. If we make it more convenient for people to ride public transportation, then there will be less cars on the roads and there will be more room to build safe infrastructure for bicycling - the most environmentally friendly form of transportation that exists.

Clean mass transit is vital for the transition to a cleaner stable future. Right now fossil fuels contribute to catastrophic levels of planetary warming. Public health is likewise negatively impacted by waste from burning fossil fuels, disproportionately affecting lower income families with higher rates of lung and heart disease and cancers. We must begin the switch immediately.

Living on Cape Cod, we are struck not only by its beauty but also by the fact that it is an especially fragile environment--we see the havoc wrought by climate change every day. I urge Governor Baker to take immediate action to stave off climate disaster. Better public transportation would go a long way in mitigating environmental damage. Maybe it's time to bring train service back to Cape Cod, and not just in the summer but year round. This would alleviate traffic to and from as well as on Cape Cod. Moreover, Massachusetts should follow the lead of California, where gasoline prices are through the roof, thus encouraging environmentally friendly cars, buses, trucks and better public transportation.

I could cry that 40 years ago we had bipartisan desire to do something on the climate, until the fossil fuel industry threw money at disinformation. There can be no bigger crime. Why are they not in jail?

We need a comprehensive transportation plan in New England that will lower greenhouse gases. States cannot operate as if they are a separate unit.

Dear Governor Baker,
I am so pleased that you are pushing for enactment of TCI in the New England region. Please don't let some naysayers discourage you. Most of us strongly support you in this endeavor. When I think of the poor air quality in East Somerville near I-93, I am very concerned for those who live near there. I see this as an important step in fighting the climate crises and in increasing environmental justice in low income communities. Hand in hand with more charging stations and a focus on public transportation, it can be a major player in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and reducing air pollution.
Thank you for your leadership in this area.
Sincerely,
Grace Hall