TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

I direct a program at the George Mason Center for Climate Change Communication called the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health which brings together medical societies and public health organizations. We organize (conevene), empower (educate), and amplify (share) the voices of physicians and other health professionals to inform the public and policymakers about the health harms of climate change and the health benefits of climate solutions. The associated medical societies represent over half the doctors in the U.S. and the public health organizations represent millions of public health professionals. We posted recently what many of our organizations view as vital policy actions to help protect us from the many adverse health impacts associated with climate change and stop further deterioration of our life sustaining atmosphere and climate. We make clear that climate change has become a health emergency. This may be found at climatehealthaction.org
Transportation is now the largest sources of greenhouse gases, contributing the most gases that trap heat to the atmosphere. Since
transportation is vital infrastructure for a vibrant economy, a system that is safe for the public, and addresses connectivity in the healthiest way possible is essential. Without great connectivity, the economy cannot include new employees or grow further into new areas. Virginia residents depend on a growing vibrant economy and thus need a transportation infrastructure for the 21st century. Virginians also need a system that does not make people sick due to the pollution that currently accompanies travel by truck, automobile, diesel bus, and ocean shipping. Right now, too many people are exposed to pollutants that place them at risk for lung problems, heart conditions, premature deliveries (if they are pregnant), or poor lung development (if they are children). Participation in a regional transportation plan can lower pollution while linking Virginia to other states in a collaborative way.
As a commuter I know how important it is to have efficient and low polluting forms of travel. As a doctor I know how easily the ozone level rises on warm to hot days when people sit in cars on the highway or walk around near major roadways, placing themselves at risk for deterioration of their lung conditions. People with asthma, lung, and heart conditions are all potentially affected, and can end up sick and unable to work or presenting to hospital emergency rooms. Children are at risk because their lungs are still developing. Pregnant women are at risk because exposure is associated with premature labor. This is a drain on individual health, community health, and the economy.
Education of children is another vital element that strengthens our economic infrastructure. Too many children are exposed to diesel fumes while they travel on their school buses. I would hope that this issue would be addressed also through participation in a transportation plan that addresses health because it addresses transportation and is designed in collaboration with other states.

In May of 2018 the price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.90. That year the economy grew by 3%. The stock market was booming and the great Recession was in the rear view mirror of most Americans.

It is now 2020 (an election year) and Phil Scott is reluctant to address climate change solutions. As he recently stated he was, “not looking to come out with something dramatic.”

According to VT. Digger, “Some Republicans have raised concerns about the 12-state Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), and called its system of fuel pricing a ‘carbon tax.’ Under the agreement, which would include Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states, fuel prices could rise by as much as 17 cents per gallon.”

The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) describes itself as a bi-partisan, “regional collaboration of 12 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia that seeks to improve transportation, develop the clean energy economy and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. The participating states are: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.”

With all due respect Mr. Scott I’d be more than happy to pay $3 a gallon for gasoline if I knew that extra revenue was addressing long-term commitment to climate change initiatives. I suspect that many of the 76% of Vermonters who support real action on this vital issue might also be willing to tolerate this increase.

It wasn’t until gasoline went over $4 a gallon Vermont in 2011 that myself and many of my neighbors started changing our habits and to car pool and find alternatives to our gas guzzling ways. Good governance, in this instance, is about applying force on the market to encourage consumers to take climate change as the primary issue it is. What good is an affordable Vermont in a world that burns?

Vermont should be leading these 12 states not putting the brakes on real change and action.

As the most rural state, we know that it will be difficult for most Mainers to drive less or switch to electric vehicles. For one, there’s no large used-electric-vehicle market.
We also know that people who rent their homes/apartments, as well as those on a fixed income, likely do not have the ability or the money to install equipment to charge electric vehicles overnight at home. This makes finding a place to charge their vehicle a daily burden, not just an occasional inconvenience.
Fully electric cars might be fine for quick trips around the city for people who can afford to install a charger in their home, but they are not ready for longer commutes in the cold on rural roads where fast chargers are not readily available.
The biggest challenge for is the winter. Batteries lose charge faster in our colder weather.
A recent Wall Street Journal video featured the many challenges of driving electric vehicles In her road-test from Detroit to the Canadian border, a Michigan reporter’s usual 10-hour round-trip TOOK 30 HOURS IN 25 DEGREE WEATHER.
She spent 19 HOURS CHARGING HER CAR on a trip about the same distance as Brunswick to Presque Isle and back. The cold not only drained the battery faster but also slowed recharging. Janet Mills is a Marxist POS and this gas tax is just a stupid idea as she is! She's a one term gov. at best! We are now seeking her removal through the off of the President of the Undited States!

It is imperative that we adopt TCI. Because of the way that Vermont acquires fuel from surrounding states which will be increasing the cost of Vermont's fuel. It is best to join TCI and receive the monetary benefits of the program to allow Vermont to invest in new programs that will further reduce our carbon footprint.

Massachusetts does better than many states in terms of environmental initiatives, but we are a long way from where we could be. We are working against a clock that seems to be accelerating (as is the climate crisis). We need to speed up our productive responses.

I think it is very important to join regionally to make an effective, low-carbon, diverse policy. All of the areas involved are connected so any transportation planning should be done jointly to ensure it is as well integrated as it can be. I applaud the Transportation and Climate Initiative and look forward to seeing it implemented. Thank you.

TCI Public Comment
Kevin Ellicks
2/26/20
As an environmental science student at Middlebury College, topics raised and discussed in class are often specific to Vermont and nearby areas. This semester, I am participating in a seminar concerning sustainable transportation in Vermont and its relation to accessibility, participation, and independence. Clearly then, the Transportation Climate Initiative is of particular relevance to my coursework.
The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible in Vermont and across the world. If the general population continues living out our lifestyles without enacting significant change, climate-related occurrences will only increase in severity and frequency. The Transportation Climate Initiative posits measures to reduce the pollution stemming from the transportation sector across the Upper South Atlantic, Mid Atlantic, and North Eastern states, more specifically, from Virginia to Maine. As the transportation sector accounts for 43% of carbon pollution in this TCI region, clearly efforts to reduce transportation pollution will coincidingly reduce carbon pollution. In that sense, I support the TCI’s initiative to address such a considerable contributor to pollution and climate change.
Given the current trajectory of climate change, the TCI is an important undertaking, yet it is far from a perfect plan of action. In the case of Vermont, a state with an extensive rural population, sustainable public transportation is often inaccessible or inconvenient to the point of irrelevance. Thus, much of the rural population of Vermont is left to its own devices to achieve mobility, which often leads to increased vehicle travel and carbon dioxide emissions. Coupled with the prevalence of poverty in rural Vermont, the increased cost of gasoline put forth by the TCI stands to leave low-income Vermonters unable to afford the gasoline that many rely on for transportation. This outcome must be avoided; therefore, the TCI must incorporate measures to ensure a just and equitable transition for impoverished Vermonters and those disproportionately affected by climate change, characteristics that are often in direct correlation to one another.
Prior to enacting the TCI, the Vermont government must ensure that rural populations will have access to transportation and that transportation will be increasingly sustainable to mitigate our current climate trajectory. As we strive to reduce vehicle miles travelled per person and emissions stemming from transportation, public transport must be made accessible to rural populations that are already disproportionately bearing the effects of climate change. Alternate modes of transport, like electric vehicles (EVs), allow a person to maintain their independence while also reducing polluting emissions. Incentives are in place to make EVs more obtainable, yet these incentives do not go far enough to make EVs available to Vermonters living in poverty.
The aspect of the TCI that I find most exciting is the potential for developing feedback loops that continually invest the profits generated from the TCI into sustainable transportation, leading to the continued decreasing of pollution from the transportation sector. The potential for an exponential process is encouraging as even initial small steps can snowball into a continued reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, I recommend easing into the TCI to avoid jeopardizing the access of impoverished populations in Vermont to the gasoline that many have come to rely on for mobility via personal vehicles. If an abrupt transition to the TCI occurs, rural Vermonters that are unable to afford the increased prices stand to be isolated with no means of mobility, similar to the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.
Furthermore, those working to implement the TCI ought to take more measures to increase the accessibility of the document itself. Even if Vermonters are aware of the TCI and have access to related documents, the language of the TCI Memoriam of Understanding is dense and difficult to understand. The potential for storytelling and graphic representation as effective ways to communicate data is immense and can prove to be an effective means of garnering support for the TCI. As we watch states such as New Hampshire decline to participate in the TCI, it is imperative that efforts to increase public support are intensified.
The TCI represents a great opportunity to generate funding for increased accessibility to public transport, greater incentives for EVs to those that need more financial assistance, and the bettering of sustainable transportation infrastructure. It would be unjust to price rural populations out of purchasing the gasoline that many rely on, yet it would also be unjust to not enact change and continue to let rural communities bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change. Careful consideration of the impacts of the TCI, especially on rural populations, will allow for a just transition towards a more sustainable future.

Please see the attached comments from Exelon Corporation and Public Service Enterprise Group.