TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Connecticut’s transportation sector is the biggest single emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the state at 38% of the total. This is a climate crisis, and we must immediately work to address the greatest challenge of our generation.

I support a transportation plan that is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution while investing in sustainable transportation modes. Bus transit, rail, walking, and biking must be improved across the state, especially in cities and town centers.
This transportation plan is also a land use plan, and we must stop investing in a sprawling, unsustainable development model. Future development in the state must be in cities, town centers, and near transit stations.
We should not be investing in expanding interstates. Expanding our interstates in Connecticut both increases emissions in the long term from induced demand and increased driving while putting development pressure on the state’s dwindling forests and farms.
Many cities and towns in the region have shovel-ready plans to improve transit, rail, and active transportation. We must invest in a future with more people on buses, trains, on foot, and riding bicycles. That future includes more transit-oriented development in walkable communities.
Addressing greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles also means immediate health benefits for our most overburdened populations as a result of improved air quality and fewer emissions of localized pollutants responsible for cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, among other adverse health impacts.

There is no "Climate Crisis" or "Climate Emergency"! Stop the fear mongering. Vermont has an "Affordability Crisis" that needs attention. It's time to address what matters most to Vermonters such as lowering the cost of living by eliminating the state pension shortfall and lowering high property taxes and healthcare premiums.

Your TCI is intended to make purchasing transportation fuels so painfully expensive that the astronomically high price discourages people from buying it. In short, consumers will have to pay more at the pump to fund increased government spending. Make no mistake, this is a tax. More precisely, it is a carbon dioxide tax being implemented through a gas tax.

But, unlike motor fuel taxes levied to pay for roads, bridges, and transportation infrastructure (a reasonable fee for use), the TCI would be the equivalent of a “sin tax” – a penalty for engaging in bad behavior. I do not believe that driving to and for work, transporting children to school, transporting goods, going to the grocery store, and all the other necessary activities that generally require a vehicle should be treated by governments as a sin. These are not activities people can, or should be forced to, avoid.

Connecticut’s transportation sector is the biggest single emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the state at 38% of the total. This is a climate crisis, and we must immediately work to reduce carbon emissions from trucks and cars.

I enthusiastically support a transportation plan that is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution while investing in sustainable transportation modes. Bus transit, rail, walking, and biking must be improved across the state, especially in cities and town centers.

This transportation plan is also a land use plan, and we must stop investing in a sprawling, unsustainable development model. Future development in the state must be in cities, town centers, and near transit hubs. Some of the transit hubs we have are neglected and in critical need of repair and improvement.

We should not be investing in expanding the interstate highway system. Expanding our interstates in Connecticut both increases emissions in the long term from induced demand and increased driving while putting development pressure on the state’s dwindling forests and farms.

Many cities and towns in the region have shovel-ready plans to improve transit, rail, and active transportation. We must invest in a future with more people on buses, trains, on foot, and riding bicycles. That future includes more transit-oriented development in walkable communities.

Addressing greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles also means immediate health benefits for our most overburdened populations as a result of improved air quality and fewer emissions of localized pollutants responsible for cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, among other adverse health impacts.

I write to you as a dedicated bike/ped and public transit commuter in southeastern Connecticut with asthma. Thank you for your careful consideration of this extremely important issue. We must act now.

Sincerely,
Andrew Lopez
286 Montauk Ave.
New London, CT 06320

In Massachusetts today, because of our reduction of coal and oil fuels in power plants, the largest source of CO2 is transportation. I am encouraged and excited that there is a regional and bipartisan effort to deal with this issue. My particular interest is to replace diesel buses with electric ones, especially school buses. Here, in western Massachusetts, where public transportation is relatively scarce ( a whole other issue), having diesel school buses pouring particulates as well as CO2 into the atmosphere and into kids lungs is truly undesirable, as the forests of this area should be a major source of clean oxygen locally and for the larger region as well. In addition, funds are desperately needed to increase clean public transportation here. Clean trains and buses are needed for both urban and rural populations as well as electric charging stations along roadways and in urban housing districts. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should join the twelve state Transportation and Climate Initiative with the intention of swiftly acting to reduce the burning of fossil fuels and biomass in this region of our nation.

This is an extremely urgent program and MA should engage at the 25% level. As cars become more efficient at mpg, folks will not notice the added charge, especially since it will be done at the supplier level. We need to cut the transportation emissions and this is a great way to do it!

This proposed initiative if enacted will place a burden on my business of which we rely on gas and diesel to do our work. We need to go to people's homes and businesses to do our work.The cost of doing business in Rhode Island is already an issue for business and this will add to it. We would be forced to raise our rates to cover the added expense and that will put our service out of reach to most people and we will not be able to hire and might have to downsize.

To whom it may concern,

As an avid outdoorsman with young children, I strongly encourage our elected officials to tackle climate change. While this small increase will not be an overbearing hardship for me personally, I do have concerns with the proposed plan to increase the price for fuel. This increase would be a financial hardship for many of my close friends and family. My understanding based on 2017 census data is that poverty levels across the state seem higher in central and western Massachusetts. Many families rely on their vehicles for their livelihoods. Currently I commute an hour to get to my primary source of income. I have a 30 minute commute to my second job. There just aren't any jobs out this way. I purchased the most fuel efficient vehicle I could afford. If electric vehicles were affordable and the infrastructure was there, I would have purchased one. There is very little access to public transportation for many of us. I need to drive 35-40 minutes to get to the closest commuter rail.

Would the proposed plan address the issues in the central and western part of the state? Road conditions are poor. Service stations are far and few between. I don't think I've ever seen an electric vehicle charging station. What happens when I lose power and can't charge my vehicle? In the past 3 months I've been without power for over a week. Who would service the newer model vehicles that this initiative is pushing for?

Again, I am in support for climate change initiatives. I moved to rural Massachusetts due to my love of the outdoors. I urge you to consider how this fuel increase will affect the members of the rural parts of the state. If this money will go directly into infrastructure improvements then you have my full support. Your transparency with where these funds end up may help many individuals get on board with saving the environment for a few dollars a week.

Regards,

Kevin Graves

The climate crisis is the biggest issue of our time. This requires an all-hands-on-deck approach to reducing emissions. I support investing in public transportation, bike and walk friendly infrastructure, and electric vehicles. Thank you.