TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

As a Virginia resident and small business owner, I strongly support TCI. We need to fix our crumbling infrastructure, promote use of clean electric vehicles, upgrade our public infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion and clean the air of transportation-related pollution. I have lost employees who moved from (or would not commute through) Northern Virginia due to the terrible traffic. And there are no good EV charging options at or near where I live and work. I firmly believe that we have the will and the transportation solutions in hand. All we need now is the cap-and-invest proceeds to get the job done! I may be forced to move from Virginia if steps are not taken to fix our broken and dirty transportation system.

We need to push the shift to sustainable transportation aggressively. As the cost of this cap is pushed onto consumers, more and more commuters in the area will have to turn to either sustainable vehicle options or public transportation. Of the two, I think public transportation is more effective – it doesn’t have as severe an upfront environmental impact, it helps multiple people at once, and the benefits would only increase if the vehicles themselves were green. However, the current public transportation system is too inefficient to be beneficial. If my commute to work is 15 mins by car and an hour by bus, of course I wont take the bus! The money earned from TCI needs to be applied towards improving our public transport and incentivizing people to use it.

Limiting pollution from motor fuels has a number of advantages. It will help create jobs and grow the economy as well as cleaning the air and saving lives. I hope Virginia will join TCI to fund better transportation infrastructure, help reduce traffic, and make my community a cleaner, safer place to live. And I urge Gov. Northam to fully support TCI.

Transportation is becoming one of the leading source of carbon emissions. It is essential that we revamp the structure to address the impact it will have in the future. As a physician, I also understand that this is a significant factor that would impact the health of my patients.

Yesterday I saw a two-year old boy with his third asthma attack in three months. After he failed to improve with treatment in my office I sent him to the Emergency Department, where he was started on his third course of oral steroids in twelve weeks. He was placed on strong preventative medication to continue indefinitely. In a single clinic day earlier this week I treated three children with Attention Deficit Disorder and one child with a learning disability.
We know from decades of research that air pollution from the combustion of oil and gas for transportation directly harms the health of our children. Air pollution from fossil fuel combustion harms children's lungs, causing asthma attacks and bronchitis, as well as potentially life-long reduced lung capacity. Air pollution also affects our brains, contributing to cognitive and behavioral disorders in children and Alzheimer's disease in adults. Reducing these pollutants is vital to protecting the health and future of our children and all members of our communities.
That is why I strongly support this policy to reduce air pollution from the transportation sector. This policy would have tremendous health benefits through reduced air pollution. By 2032, the public health benefits of the proposed program could reach as much as $10 billion, and reduce as many as 1,000 fewer premature deaths, and over 1,300 fewer asthma symptoms annually.
As a pediatrician, I strongly support the proposed policy.

Hello, Transportation and Climate Initiative team,

I very much appreciate Virginia’s efforts to reduce transportation emissions, which are a major contributor to climate change. And as a mom and fellow Virginian, I would implore lawmakers to consider more aggressive targets, which are essential for us to be able to reduce emissions enough to decarbonize before climate change is irreversible. Please consider at least a 25% reduction target over 10 years for all registered vehicles.

Please make zero tailpipe emission investments a priority. We all want our kids to grow up in with healthy air to breathe and a stable, healthy climate. Please act aggressively while we still have a window of opportunity to turn the tide on climate change.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kay Campbell
Albemarle County resident

Virginia Conservation Network is the partnership of 125 groups across the Commonwealth working to protect our natural resources. We have a 50 year history of working for state level policy changes to protect and restore our air, water, and natural landscapes.

Climate change is the biggest environmental threat we face here in Virginia and across the globe. All levels of government must step up to address this threat by putting policies in place that reduce carbon emissions. Virginia is on a path to joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to ratchet down our carbon pollution from electricity generation with a statewide goal of getting to a carbon free power grid by 2050. However, the utility sector is only on fifth of our greenhouse gas emissions, forty-six percent of our state’s carbon pollution derives from the transportation sector. It is time for Virginia, our neighboring states, and the nation to tackle this source of pollution.

VCN is excited about the solutions the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) could offer our Commonwealth. TCI would not only put in place a system to reduce carbon pollution from transportation, the resulting revenue streams from TCI could allow us to expand our transit networks and transition our vehicle fleets—from police cruisers to school buses—to all-electric. The potential for revenues to be invested in cleaner and more accessible transportation solutions in communities that suffer disproportionately from transportation pollution and a lack of mobility options can not be overstated. It is important that while we look towards transportation solutions we look not only to electrification but also to smart land-use including walkable, bikeable communities. We look forward to working with TCI and our neighboring states to tackle this problem from all angles.

There are many co-benefits to cleaning up our transportation system; however, the benefits for public health would prove especially significant. Virginia’s rate of asthma and related deaths is well above the national average. Richmond in particular has more deaths linked to asthma than any other U.S. city, and childhood asthma is a top reason that Richmond children miss school. Cleaner vehicles would mean cleaner air for our kids to breathe.

We are excited to support this endeavor to simultaneously tackle the climate crisis, enhance our region's mobility and make a significant shift towards cleaner, healthier communities.

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.

I'm grateful that Virginia is working on reducing transportation emissions—it's time to make bold moves. Given that transportation is Virginia's top source of greenhouse gas emissions, we should consider more aggressive goals (i.e. greater than 25% reduction) and prioritize zero tailpipe emissions investments. Let's make it happen!