TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

as we are faced with the extinction of our species(inevitable, in time, if we don't make drastic changes), and society's obsession with driving(not walking, cycling, etc.)- we need to severely lower carbon emissions and look into more sustainable fuel sources.

My attached comments address multiple concerns. I believe that costs must be addressed before any jurisdiction can decide whether to join the TCI. Contrary to the statements saying that there has been “extensive” public input to this process I show that the only segment of the public that is even aware of this process has some sort of vested interest in transportation and climate planning. I addressed each of the components of the framework and finally discuss some implementation issues based on my extensive background in cap and trade programs.

I am a scientist who follows developments in climate science and a grandparent concerned about the future for my grandchildren due to climate change. I believe it is important as soon as possible to reduce pollution from transportation which is the largest source of global warming emissions. Pennsylvania should formally join the plan to reduce emissions. The policy should have a strong component of equity by prioritizing clean investments in areas overburdened by pollution and/or for those who don't have access. I am grateful for the bipartisan nature of this project, moving us forward while the federal government takes us backward.

As someone who owns two plug-in cars (one of them fully electric), the number of charging stations in CT is woefully inadequate. Further, the existing charging stations are often in disrepair. Without working charging stations, people will never get out of their gas guzzlers.
Next, affordable mass transit should be broadened, and where it exists, the service could be better. Give people an option to get out of their cars.
CT does need to charge tolls on major highways just like most other states in the Northeast--mid-Atlantic region.

THERE IS NO CLIMATE CRISIS!!! There is ample evidence that CO2 cannot cause warming and does not cause warming. The global temperatures have not risen by more than 1 degree C in the last 100 years. The numbers have been manipulated to fit the IPCC agenda. Michael Mann was defeated in Canadian court because he wouldn't provide the data to prove his "hockey stick graph" was not a fraud. 500 scientist from all over the world have sent a letter to the UN asking for a debate with their scientists regards their data. This is absolutely not settled science.

I am 100% against the TCI proposal. It will impose an undue burden on Maines lower and middle wage earners in rural areas for the benifit of the large urban areas of southern Me.

Transportation is the number one source of climate pollution in the United States. In order to cut emissions, and to slow the impact of global warming, we need to reimagine the way that we transport people and goods.

The states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and the city of Washington, D.C., are working on a groundbreaking policy to modernize the transportation sector under the Transportation and Climate Initiative.

We need a plan that holds large transportation polluters accountable for the pollution they create and invests in clean transportation solutions including:
• More public transit and electric vehicle infrastructure in rural areas
• Expansion of commuter rail, electric vehicles, and streets in the suburbs that are safe, walkable, and bikeable
• Sustainable and equitable housing near transit and electric bus fleets in urban communities

I fully support this and I urge TCI to aggressively promote and adopt innovative initiatives. I live in a suburb of Boston, where traffic is terrible and public transit is, too! For the most part, unless we work in downtown Boston or Worcester, we are forced to drive. We need alternatives that allow growth and economic vitality with minimal additional pollution.