TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Governor Charlie Baker
Office of the Governor
24 Beacon Street Room 280
Boston, MA 02133


Dear Governor Baker:

The Massachusetts Campaign for a Clean Energy Future is a coalition of environmental, public health, labor, and civic organizations working to establish equitable carbon pricing policy for Massachusetts.

We support the potential of a well-structured regional Transportation Climate Initiative and want to ensure that the Commonwealth develops carbon reduction plans that are both effective and centered around equitable protections and investments. To that end, the organizations listed below, all of whom are members of Massachusetts Campaign for a Clean Energy Future, support the statement of principles developed and submitted by the Massachusetts TCI Table.

Please note that the nine organizations that are signatories to this letter represent thousands of engaged Massachusetts residents from Cape Cod to Western Massachusetts.
Environmental Ambition
We commend Governor Baker and members of the Baker-Polito administration for their regional leadership on TCI. As the participating jurisdictions work to develop a final Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), we encourage Massachusetts to provide continued leadership by encouraging other states to commit to TCI, to invest proceeds in clean transportation efforts, and to minimize negative impacts to low-income drivers while maximizing benefits to communities that lack affordable, reliable, and safe transportation.
The MA TCI Table asks the Baker-Polito administration to ensure that the TCI jurisdictions establish an emissions cap that aligns with Governor Baker’s recently announced commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 and the Massachusetts Senate’s proposed requirement of a 50 percent emissions reduction by 2030.
Of the three cap levels analyzed by the TCI jurisdictions, the cap that most closely approaches that level of ambition is the cap that declines by 25 percent from 2022 to 2032; that cap level also delivers the greatest health, economic, and job-creation benefits. For those reasons, the undersigned support an emissions cap that declines by at least 25 percent from 2022 to 2032. We also recommend that the Administration conduct modeling of deeper reductions. The cap and other program design elements should be reviewed after the program’s first three years and every three years thereafter to ensure that the program is working as intended to reduce CO2 emissions and other harmful co-pollutants and is improved over time.
Investment of TCI Proceeds
We appreciate the need for each TCI jurisdiction to independently determine how to invest TCI proceeds to best meet the unique needs of their residents, workers, and businesses. However, we also believe that the draft MOU should include principles to ensure that investments deliver pollution reduction, improved air quality, increased sustainable transportation options in an equitable manner. This should include attention to good jobs standards.
The investment of TCI proceeds in Massachusetts should provide greater access to affordable, low-carbon transportation options throughout all geographic regions of the Commonwealth. Investments that benefit environmental justice communities, low-income populations, rural families, low-wage workers, and other populations that have been historically burdened by transportation pollution are necessary. The Commonwealth should prioritize these communities as they have faced disproportionate burdens from transportation pollution and unequal access to mobility options. TCI proceeds must minimize and mitigate cost impacts to low-income households and maximize expanded clean transportation benefits for low-income communities and other transit-dependent populations.
The Commonwealth’s share of proceeds from TCI allowance auctions should be managed transparently, with input from a stakeholder advisory council. Massachusetts should work directly with communities across the Commonwealth to identify investments that will deliver CO2 reductions, improved air quality, resilient infrastructure, and improved sustainable transportation options. TCI-funded investments should be highly visible through clear reporting of investments and investment impacts.
Complementary Policies
In addition to a cap-and-invest framework, complementary policies are needed to achieve the Commonwealth’s climate mandates, economic development, and public health goals. These should include policies such as reduced public transit fares, road pricing, zoning reform, public-private partnerships, improved governance and coordination of the MBTA, RTAs, human service transit, and other state and local agencies. Further, the undersigned agree with the Commission on the Future of Transportation that we need to phase out the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles by or before 2040, and that all MBTA and RTA bus purchases must be electric by 2030.
The following member organizations of the Massachusetts Campaign for a Clean Energy Future look forward to working with you to ensure that Massachusetts participates in an environmentally ambitious and equitable TCI.
Sincerely,
Acadia Center
Cape and Islands Self-Reliance
Clean Water Action
Climate Action Now Western Massachusetts
Elder Climate Action Massachusetts
Greater Boston Interfaith Organization Climate Justice Task Force
Healthlink
League of Women Voters-Massachusetts
Salem Alliance for the Environment

With the 3rd largest GDP in the world, this regional plan to reduce emissions from the transportation sector would be transformative.The League has supported clean air as a necessary condition for environmental and public health for decades and we applaud Governor Baker for his leadership on this initiative! Reducing air pollution from the transportation sector would be a boon to public health and quality of life. It's time to jump on board this regional effort!

I own a working apple orchard in Easthampton, Massachusetts. From the orchard I can see the single driver automobiles creep back over Mt Tom every night by the hundreds. Each of the gas powered cars are creating greenhouse gases. Each car commuting to Hartford, CT and back creates more carbon emissions in a year than our entire orchard creates yearly. The TCI will do more for our future than I can working every day as a farmer to growing healthy food.

Car and truck emissions are a significant part of our greenhouse gas problem. I am very grateful that a group of states are choosing to work together to cap these emissions through the TCI. I support Massachusetts joining the TCI even if that means higher gas prices. I also support equitable clauses that address challenged communities that need help in the transition to cleaner energy. I suspect that many of these communities will also see help in terms of cleaner air and better transportation options as money is funneled back into creating a clean and efficient transportation system. We need strong caps on emissions and well-thought out reinvestment.

Please make the TCI the best it can be. It is legislation we needed a long time ago and we have a lot of catching up to do.

Thanks,
Alane Hartley
Park Hill Orchard

As a father of 3 children and a concerned citizen, I am urging you to consider reducing green house gas emissions by adopting the strongest TCI Regional Policy initiative. Climate change affects all of us and is the number one challenge facing everyone on this planet. It is everyone's responsability, from each individual to local to national governments to ensure a reduction of green house gases. This initiative if implemented will help in this respect. I wish to thank Governor Baker for his leadership in making Massachusetts one of the greenest state and urge him to adopt this policy. This initiative will also help the most needy that don't have access to a good transportation system.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely.
Olivier Resca

On behalf of U.S. PIRG, I am submitting comments in support of TCI from 874 of our members across the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region.

The Transportation and Climate Initiative is an opportunity for our state to reduce fossil fuel emissions and invest in clean transportation, like electric cars and buses, charging infrastructure, sidewalks/bike lanes, and regional rail.

We urge you to move forward with TCI, and require that the revenue generated by the program is used to expand clean transportation. There are simply too many cars on the road -- leading to increased asthma rates, traffic congestion problems, and a warming climate.

In particular, we'd like TCI funds to go towards zero-emission electric buses, EV charging infrastructure, expanded and improved bike lanes and regional rail, as well as tax rebates toward private EV ownership.

I support TCI because it addresses both climate change as well as transportation infrastructure needs.

Our region needs improvement on both these fronts immediately. Many of us who are concerned about climate change will be carefully following what the response is from each our region's leaders to implementing the TCI plan. This plan has been carefully crafted and vetted over time and deserves support from any prominent regional leader who has similar concerns about climate change as well as transportation infrastructure improvment.

Climate change due to human caused greenhouse gas emissions is an existential threat. Transportation is the biggest greenhouse gas emitter in Massachusetts and across the world. Transitioning to all-electric vehicles is a relatively easy and effective way to move us toward a carbon neutral environment. This transition will have the added benefit of cleaner air and lower health costs related to respiratory diseases. The government needs to help not only by improving public transportation, which should be 'green', but also by incentivizing electric vehicle purchases by individuals. The latter requires charging stations on all highways that ultimately will replace gasoline stations. In the short term, it also requires financial incentives, including rebates for electric vehicle purchase and home charging station installations. The federal government is moving us backwards. The states need to shoulder the burden of moving us forward for the sake of current and future generations. The eastern states can and should sent an example for the rest of the country.