TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Lancaster County has some of the dirtiest air in the country and it is time to do something about it.

As an aging woman with grandchildren, I am concerned about the future. I support a strong, well-designed Transportation and Climate Initiative that provides infrastructure for fossil-fuel-free transportation, considers young, old, and disabled people, and provides good jobs, clean air, and a brake on runaway climate change.

I make ends meet making and selling maple in Rutland county. The future of maple industry needs action on climate now. No, TCI won’t save the world but the steps for regional action are desperately needed to make a clean Vermont for the future. The younger generation of Vermonters will ultimately pay the price of fossil fuel consumption of older generations. If we don’t begin to act now, that debt will grow larger. Please push through TCI. Future generations will see today’s inaction as willful negligence.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, transportation emissions in the Northeast States have increased in the past decade and,
with it, increases in particulate matter pollution which is responsible for thousands of asthma attacks and preventable deaths annually.
Moreover, transportation emissions comprise nearly half of global warming emission in the Northeast. The TCI proposes to concentrate on promoting the transition to electric vehicles as a means to limiting the effects of fossil fuels on our air quality. Furthermore, it is imperative that we focus our attention cumulatively on the benefits of investing on fossil fuel-free forms of public transportation in order to limit the increased traffic congestion documented in many of our urban centers. Even in states such as CT in which population and commerce are said to be on the wane, increases in congestion have increasingly plagued motorists over the course of the past decade. I an support of the goal
of decreasing our reliance on fossil fueled vehicles (approximately 52B across the NE corridor) through such mechanisms as cap and invest and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative which is being phased in across the mid-Atlantic and NE regions with promising early returns in terms of reducing carbon emissions.

We see the great need in Maine for safe, clean, and affordable transportation. To keep Maine growing and bringing in new business we MUST have transportation for workers and to get products to markets. To increase tourism we MUST provide transpiration to ALL parts of Maine. New families, elderly, and students will require transportation for access to educational facilities, medical care, and jobs. NOW is the time for Maine to invest in clean, energy efficient transportation. Every $ spent will help Maine to grow and prosper. Every $ spent on CLEAN energy efficient transportation is a win-win for all of this New England area in clean air, lower costs, and increased access for inter-state travel. If we ALL work together, we will ALL benefit.

I support TCI and demand the most comprehensive program possible: we need improved transportation options, we need polluters to pay their fair share for the damage they are causing, and we need to act now!

Please develop and implement a policy that caps/reduces carbon emissions from transportation

I developed lifelong asthma as a kid after moving to a city with high air pollution caused by cars. Asthma has affected my ability to do play sports that I love and means I will be paying for medication every month for the rest of my life. We know that asthma rates in kids are highest near highways and high traffic streets. It would break my heart to know we had a chance to give millions of kids cleaner air and chose not to take it.

Beyond the local air quality effects, Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the region, country, and world. We know that effective public transit can dramatically and quickly reduce transportation's carbon intensity when it has enough funding, which is absolutely not the case in Pennsylvania. Using pricing emissions and generating funding for public transit that gives people low emissions transportation options is crucial.

I strongly support the TCI and encourage Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania state legislature to support it as well.

I believe Vermont needs to coordinate with our neighboring states to get our emissions from transportation under control. I live on the Connecticut River. I own a car, but try to drive as little as possible. I take the Amtrak occasionally if I have business in Northern Vermont. I would take the train more often if it ran more frequently. We need more light rail in our state and in New Hampshire. Once upon a time, there were trolleys connecting small towns. Light rail could fill that same niche.
We need additional funding to provide creative non-polluting transportation initiatives tailored to the needs of small towns and rural lifestyles.