TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

My name is Keonte and I'm an Intern for Transport Hartford at the Center for Latino Progress. I attend A.I Prince Tech as a 12th grader and I live in Hartford. The Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI) is a very important matter, it can play a big role in our future. TCI should be talked about amongst younger age groups because our future should be safe from pollutants that encourage global warming. To accomplish this, TCI is a way for states to work together, developing policies to reduce carbon emission and deliver better transportation systems. Encouraging this could better our air quality. Hartford has lots of pollution from the highways and car traffic, which has led to high asthma rates in my community.

Public health investments from TCI money could reduce those high rates. considering a large number of kids that go to the middle school are,
TCI investments can support more crossing guards throughout the streets as well as enforcing the stop signs more. Cars tend to speed; this is a safety issue that can cause a lot of damage.
THA has organized workshops and meetings to discuss these matters. I want to see more transit-oriented development in communities and more people being able to use the bus in their area without worrying about how to get to where they are going. We also need a better traveling system that has more clean energy, reducing carbon emissions. TCI is meant to make people feel safe and secure me personally. I support it cause it can be a benefit to everyone, old or young taking a change now can positively change our future for others to come.

My name is Shaniya Davies. I go to Weaver High School in Hartford Connecticut and I'm an intern with the Transport Hartford Academy. I've been researching the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), a regional effort to reduce pollution, improve transportation, and develop clean energy. We want to see more people care about climate change.

Last summer, our organization surveyed over 800 people who live and work in CT who believe our state should adopt TCI. Transportation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, mostly because of how much we drive cars - so we need better options. For TCI’s investments, 92% of our survey respondents want to see CT Improving existing public transportation, including buses, trains, and dial a ride, while 91% said expanding /Improving sidewalks and bike lanes to provide safe alternatives to driving should be spending priorities.

As a teenager with asthma who gets around mostly by walking and taking the bus, public health, walking safety, and transit service are big concerns that TCI investments can help us address. Many people in my community have health issues in their systems.

I have asthma and there is too much pollution. Asthma is a serious thing to deal with people who could have asthma attacks. They could be low on breathing. It could cause death on somebody. I don't wanna risk falling in the middle of the street or getting run over by a car. TCI will promote sustainability and healthy/livable communities. Should have benefits and more effort in the environment by working together and making more increase and do better. It should change all stages of transportation, including people who take the bus in making decisions planning, design, and construction. We can have better data analysis to measure resources, benefits, and outcomes of a community.

Like for some people that have experience from taking the bus. For example I take the bus and the bus schedules don't even be right i would have to sit in the cold to wait for the bus. I was going to work by taking the bus and i waited for almost an hour for the bus come and i was late to work.So i would have to take the bus earlier than what i usually do so i wouldn’t be late and end up getting in trouble from my job, They Should have better routes and access,time management lets others know the exact time instead of waiting for a certain amount of time for the bus to arrive at the stop or destination.

Sidewalks should look better so people can walk without walking into cracks, holes, and more things on the ground. This is important for public health, cutting pollution, helping my community.

Alternative fuel vehicles, including hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, will play an important role in decreasing transportation CO2 emissions in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Ensuring access to reliable and affordable hydrogen fueling infrastructure will play a key role in supporting consumer adoption of fuel cell electric vehicles, thereby reducing CO2.

To that end, TMNA supports efforts by TCI to ensure that the Reference Case accurately represents the need for this fueling infrastructure. NEMS’ fuel availability methodology is based on the historical relationship between vehicle stock and refueling stations. However, given the historical shortfall in hydrogen refueling stations, a Reference Case based on this historical relationship could lead to further underinvestment in hydrogen stations.

If improved to address this problem, NEMS could be used as a tool to assist in projecting how much overall hydrogen infrastructure will be needed to support a growing population of fuel cell vehicles in the TCI Regions, and this infrastructure requirement could be communicated to the states as part of investment planning in infrastructure. It should be noted, however, that hydrogen infrastructure works best when taking into account travel patterns, local vehicle adoption, station redundancy, etc., rather than distributed evenly across all regions. Industry can provide the best guidance for specific placement and number of hydrogen stations needed. It should also be noted that hydrogen stations currently require up to 2 years from planning to opening in order to find land, obtain permits, and complete construction.

We need to reduce greenhouse gas on every front to create an environment to meet the basic needs of clean air, pure water, viable soil for plant life and food supply, and David the sustainability of all life forms that enrich life on Earth. Sound transportation strategies, building strategies, community planning strategies, etc. designed to support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve these objectives for a healthful future for the generations to come.

Good morning -

On behalf of the citizens of Sherman, many who travel long distances for employment, I oppose this Initiative. Enactment of this Initiative would be a hardship for rural Maine.
We do not have readily available transportation alternatives. Many of the working class are employed by the woods industry. They have to travel to their place of work daily. Are you aware of the distance that these folks travel for employment?

In our community we also have a significant number of elderly citizens who must travel to Bangor for medical treatment. It is 85 miles one way for them to have access to medical care.

In addition to the previous concerns that I have mentioned, think about the increased transportation cost to transport goods & services that we all need. How would the people of our State afford to live in the rural areas? Proposals such as this Initiative make me think about the Native Americans & the Trail of Tears - feels much the same for rural Mainers that have lived here their entire lives. Just another way to force us all out of our small hometowns.

Thank you,
Debra J. O'Roak
Town Manager

The Town of Hanover, NH became a Ready for 100 community after a popular vote at our May 2017 Town Meeting. We are committed to community-wide 100% reliance on renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% reliance on renewable heating and transportation fuel by 2050. As part of our community's 2050 goal, it is critical that we receive support from the State of New Hampshire through its aggressive implementation of the TCI program. Cities and towns cannot meet the 2030 or 2050 RE100 goals alone....we are heavily dependent on leadership at the state, New England regional, and federal level. Hanover, NH raises its hand in full support of the Transportation and Climate Initiative.

I'm writing to encourage a thoughtful approach to equity and transportation in the TCI. In particular, I ask that you include a cap on carbon emissions of at least 25% by 2032, an increase in the minimum investment in overburdened and underserved communities (>35%), and that investments be put towards active transportation like better sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure, and high quality public transit. Thank you for taking action to support healthier and more sustainable communities for the future.

Baltimore badly needs better public transit and we almost got it until Gov. Hogan cancelled the Red Line. My husband and I believe so strongly in the importance of transit as a way to improve our cities and the environment that we drive an electric car and created a pro bono video for the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance: https://vimeo.com/261064553