TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

I oppose and fuel tax or regulation that Janet Mills is proposing for Maine residents, we need to reduce the current fuel tax for our businesses and residents, we need lower fuel taxes on our heating oil, I am at poverty level and any legislation on fuel in Maine only deepens my level of poverty and confines me so I may not afford gas for my car, or fuel for my furnace... stop all fuel tax in Maine

Sadler Brothers Oil Company which employs 87 people and provides petroleum for other companies that employ hundreds of employees in Virginia is strongly opposed to the "framework for a draft regional policy proposal" which seeks to expropriate the petroleum marketing industry. Over time this plan proposes to move Virginia from simple rationing and new taxes to the ultimate prohibition of fossil fuels.
This plan does not assess the collateral damage it will inflict on state revenue, local tax collections, Virginia's Transportation Trust fund, and consumers.
Many of the advocates of these policies support regulation to electrify transportation. Those advocates somehow forget to mention that a major component of batteries powering these vehicles is cobalt, 90 percent of which is mined in third world countries under unfavorable working conditions.
As the number of electric vehicles grows, petroleum marketers will likely have to battle for a share of the electric vehicle charging market with utility companies that see EV charging as a new business opportunity without cost. When utility companies install charging stations, they may seek the ability to include that cost as part of their capital investment. When these costs are approved by governmental regulatory agencies, they can then be passed on to all ratepayers as part of their monthly electric bills.
Sadler Brothers Oil Company believes this would provide regulated utilities an unfair competitive advantage that Virginia based small businesses simply cannot compete with. I must economically justify and self-fund at risk investments in new equipment like EV charging stations and so should my competition.
Another likely competitor under this scheme is the state government itself. This is not a concept, as just this past session the General Assembly passed legislation to allow the Departments of Conservation and Recreation, General Services, and Transportation to install electric chargers. Fortunately our association was able to narrow this initiative considerably by limiting the number of state agencies involved and mitigating the threat of unfair competition by requiring the state to sell the power at prevailing market rates including taxes.
All Virginians, particularly the petroleum marketing and convenience industries, support a clean environment. There are many ways to achieve this without rationing. Incentivizing the sale of electric vehicles does nothing to meet your stated goals of "equity, environmental justice, and non-discrimination." As one example, the stated goals could be achieved far faster and cheaper via efforts to assist low-income Virginians to purchase more fuel efficient vehicles that meet current and future CAFÉ standards.
History has proven that rationing followed by prohibition - the ultimate goal of TCI - has led to black markets, unregulated and untaxed sales, and undue burdens on law enforcement.
The impact of these proposals will not be solely on fuel sellers and convenience stores - what about the auto repair industry, muffler shops, service facilities at new car dealers, quick lubes etc.? What about agriculture, construction, Loggers and watermen who will be forced to scrap present equipment or pay artificially high prices due to rationing? What about the consumer who will experience not only higher prices to operate their personal vehicles, but higher prices for consumer goods and services?
The impact of these proposals will completely devastate Virginia’s economics. Recent information predicts an alternative fuel source for Commercial Trucks are 15 to 20 years out, Trucking companies have utilized Virginia interstates I95, I85 and I81 for years which allowed the state and individual companies to benefit from them stopping and doing business on these popular travel routes. The proposals will cause most companies to route the trucks around the state devastating businesses.
Sadler Brothers Oil Company opposes the TCI plan to ration, tax and ultimately eliminate fossil fuels.

This is offensive and illegal. Random, unelected, unaccountable “.orgs” have no right to raise taxes (which unsurprisingly always manage to enrich themselves).
This will simply punish working men and women under the guise of stopping imaginary “climate change”.
I predict this will hasten the mass exodus from high tax blue states, eventually leaving no working citizens to tax.
Restore democracy, allow lawmakers make the law.

Please vote no to extinguish this initiative. I am on a fixed income and cannot afford another tax, fee, or any other reduction of my income by Massachusetts government or non government means.

Thank you,
Rian Murray

I do not support this issue as there is no real proof for your claims about global warming and climate change in general. For over 200 years people have been trying to scare others by saying the world is going to end because of climate related issues and it is still here. The Bible tells us how the worls will emd and until I see those things happen the summer and winter and spring time and harvest will continue. I do believe that we should respect our environment but the mining and processing of lithium and other products for batteries used in electric cars and hybrids does much more damage to that environment than does gasoline.

Maybe our state shouldn’t be spending 2 billion dollars a year on illegal aliens. There’s the money you need for infrastructure