TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

The TCI makes a lot of sense for Vermont and we need to get this through the state house as soon as possible in order to meet the 2020 deadline and put it into effect in 2022. Time is of the essence. The TCI is equitable and will take into consideration the frontlines communities in Vermont. It is fair to the fossil fuel companies who will transition to a Cap and Invest program gradually. It allows Vermont to be part of a regional initiative with other NE states and by doing so, will receive monies to help those who most need it. I say "yes" to the TCI.

Maryland should make a make a firm commitment to adopt a regional transportation policy that achieves a minimum 40 percent reduction in transportation sector climate pollution by 2030, to keep us on track to meet the climate goals updated by the General Assembly in 2016.
Investment and policy decisions should be made based on pollution reduction and equity goals, as well as robust engagement opportunities from the public‒particularly those most overburdened by transportation pollution and undeserved by our current transportation system. Maryland can lead the way and be an example for other states. Please make good decisions on our behalf to help fight climate change.
Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.

I urge that Vermont participate in the Transportation and Climate Initiative as a step toward reducing our transportation carbon footprint. We may be a small state, but we do have an impact, and with 44% of our carbon emissions coming from transportation, this is a critically important step.

Traveling regularly to Keene, NH, I am constantly aware of the insufficiency of our public transportation system. If we had buses traveling between Brattleboro and Keene, I would be taking them. TCI could mean that all of us would have better public transportation infrastructure, and fewer of us would have cars on the road.

I'm aware that there is resistance to TCI because of the burden that increased prices on gas would put on poorer Vermonters, who often must drive to jobs that are often far from home, and who can't afford to buy an electric vehicle, even with incentives. If done right, TCI can ease these issues, rather than becoming an added burden for poor Vermonters. I urge that funds received by Vermont through TCI be directed into programs that help poor Vermonters with transportation needs. This means that public transportation should be treated as a public good and be free or very inexpensive, incentives for fuel efficient cars should be means-weighted enough so that someone who is driving a third-hand gas-guzzler can afford to replace it. Vermonters with accessibility needs (who are often among the poorest of us) must also have their needs put foremost, and accessibility should be a primary consideration in building out new transportation infrastructure.

Again, I urge that Vermont formally join TCI, and take this critically important step toward a cleaner energy future and an improved transportation infrastructure that will benefit us all.

Sincerely,
Karen Saunders

I support the TCI both to attempt to brake humanities collision course with climate upheaval and to reduce congestion with sensible transportation options.

The benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions cannot ultimately be fiscally quantified, as these include protecting biodiversity and human well-being. Nonetheless, the TCI’s first-decade regional benefits include (1) increases in GDP, disposable personal income (DPI), and employment, (2) better public health from cleaner air valued at $3 – $10 billion, and (3) a 20 – 25% reduction in greenhouse gas pollution from cars and trucks; while the VT-specific benefits include (1) $18 - $80 million in annual revenues to invest in low-carbon transportation options, (2) more money from the program each year than Vermonters contribute, and (3) the opportunity to make the state more affordable for low-income and rural Vermonters by lessening dependence on imported, polluting and expensive fossil fuels.

I would love to see: More choice of less expensive electric cars; advertising to shame rich people into stop driving huge, gas wasting cars; recharging stations at every rest stop on all major highways.(A family could stop and have a snack while charging their car. Knowing charging stations stations would be available would make people more comfortable moving to all electric cars.)
I drove to the rich western suburbs of Boston on Feb. 20, 2020. I watched carefully as I drove. I saw 1 hybrid car and 1 Tesla. The rest of the cars were very expensive cars, some V6’s and some V8’s !! I see this as shameful !! How are these people so ignorant !!
Otherwise, we need to make all forms of public transportation buses, trains, and subways all electric ASAP. Thank you for all you do.
Sincerely, Rebecca Bennett

As a student currently working on transportation concerns in Middlebury, I was very curious to read the Memorandum of Understanding put forward by the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI). The TCI proposes the establishment of a regional program composed of 12 states and Washington, D.C., all committing to transition to a low-carbon, sustainable transportation sector through the implementation of a regional cap-and-invest program.
I agree with the TCI’s emphasis on cleaning up the transportation sector. If we’re going to act on climate change, we need to act fast. The 2018 IPCC report gave us twelve years (now ten) to cut global greenhouse gas emissions 45% below 2010 levels to have any hope of limiting warming beyond 1.5C. The recent ratification of the Global Warming Solutions Act (H.688) by the Vermont House is a promising start to what will hopefully be decisive, thoughtful, and socially-just continued action by the Vermont government to curb emissions.
The TCI is another step forward for Vermont, one unique in that it specifically tackles transportation, which makes up nearly half of the state’s current climate pollution. Curbing transportation emissions is a must if Vermont seeks to meet our commitment to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord by 2025. So yes, let’s join the TCI…BUT…
It MUST fully center the needs and rights of low income and working-class Vermonters in a just transition to a renewable energy-powered transportation future.
This is the question I always want to ask when considering climate legislation: who is going to be squeezed? Implementing a cap-and-invest system with a declining cap certainly puts the pressure on fuel suppliers, but that pressure is in part passed off to Vermonters filling up their tanks at the gas station. For some, the TCI will help lower the cost of transitioning to an electric vehicle (EV) and make it more feasible with rural electrification. But what about those Vermonters who simply do not have the budget for a new vehicle, whether or not it’s electric and whether or not the cost is lowered?
More accessible to some does not mean accessible to all.
This is the very issue the Vermont legislature hesitated on last session with a carbon tax proposal. House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said she can’t see a “straight-up carbon tax” being viable without already having a better public transportation system in rural areas. Isn’t that the same problem we see in the TCI, that putting a cap on carbon allowances might ultimately hurt rural and working-class Vermonters the most? The difference being that the TCI hides behind hopes of EV incentives and electric charging stations that simply do not make sense for many Vermonters.
To its credit, the TCI does include a clause on equity:

“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Signatory Jurisdictions will work with communities to ensure that the benefits of a cap-and-invest program flow equitably to communities that are underserved by clean transportation alternatives, disproportionately bear the costs of the current transportation system, or suffer disproportionate impacts of vehicular pollution and climate change”

I’m glad that there is recognition of the disproportionate costs of transportation to vulnerable groups, but I would hope to see social and community justice front and center of Vermont’s implementation of the TCI, rather than relegated to a side note.
I’ve experienced firsthand the frustrations of working-class people facing rising fuel prices when I lived in Bordeaux, France during the beginning of the yellow vest protest movement in November 2018. The high price of gas and a high of living in general hit the French middle and working-classes the hardest, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. People across the country demonstrated for weeks calling for lower fuel taxes, a solidarity tax on wealth, and a minimum wage increase, among other demands. I can’t help but draw some, albeit limited, parallels to Vermont. The unrest in France is a stark example of what happens when governments enact climate legislation without fully considering and addressing the needs of those who are currently the most dependent on the system the way it is now. Vermonters are perhaps not numerous enough to pressure their government the way that French protesters did, which gives legislators here all the more responsibility to be proactive about the way they implement any new transportation legislation.
Vermont could benefit greatly from increased electrification, expanded and improved public transportation, and smart development. That’s why I’m saying yes to Vermont participating in the TCI…BUT doing so by centering the needs of low income and working-class Vermonters. I don’t pretend to know the perfect solution, but I do encourage those making the decisions to find ways to minimize the burdens placed on individuals and households and maximize their ability to lead a dignified life.

IT IS SHAMEFUL THAT PENNSYLVANIA IS AT THE TOP OF POLLUTING STATES IN THE U.S.! I THINK WE'RE #3, BUT WITH A LITTLE MORE EFFORT, GOVERNOR WOLF AND OTHER POLITICIANS CAN PUSH US UP TO #1 - AND IT SEEMS THEY'RE TRYING TO DO THIS!

This Initiative is extremely important to create momentum and collaboration to address our deadly emissions from transportation which constitute a third (and growing) of our carbon emissions in the US. We need to address these problems not only because of our pressing need to avoid the catastrophic implications of climate change but also because air pollution and crashes are also killing so many of us right now- including young people. Strong investment in clean, efficient public transport and non-motorized transport as well as improved land-use is a win-win-win move forward. Smart electrification of our vehicles can lead to many benefits in terms of saving money and costs in public health, but this too requires investment, cooperation and strategy that this initiative is helping to do. Finally, in New York, we passed the inspiring Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act with ambitious targets for carbon emission reduction and social justice. We will not succeed without a strong initiative to address transportation and since NY is part of an important regional system, we must work closely together on this initiative to succeed in our goals. This initiative is absolutely critical for us to move forward and is long overdue. It deserves support.