TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

"As a resident of Pennsylvania I urge the northeast states to adopt a strong TCI program that cuts transportation emissions in order to meet our state's climate goals. The program should invest in public transportation, safe biking and walking infrastructure, and prioritize communities who have suffered disproportionate impacts from transportation pollution."

Electric is not without its bad points but it does not create quite as much carbon pollution as gasoline. We need to do all we can to reduce our carbon footprint.

Anything to be done to combat climate change is imperative. Reducing carbon emissions with incentives is a good step in the right direction.

Our outdated and antiquated transportation system is Maine’s largest source of climate pollution—and it doesn’t even come close to meeting the needs of Maine people!
Maine people deserve clean, modern, affordable transportation options that deliver economic, health, and climate benefits to local communities.
It makes good sense for Maine to work with neighboring states through TCI’s bipartisan, proven policy model.

I have children and I would like for them to be able to have a healthy future. Anything short of 100% sustainable energy by 2030 at the latest will not enable that to happen.

I am making the following requests:
A cap on carbon emissions of at least 25% by 2032
An increase in the minimum investment in overburdened and underserved communities (>35%)
Request that investments be put towards active transportation like better sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure, and high quality public transit

Design a regional low-carbon transportation policy proposal that would cap and reduce carbon emissions from the combustion of transportation fuels through a cap-and-invest program or other pricing mechanism… [and]… to complete the policy development process within one year, after which each jurisdiction will decide whether to adopt and implement the policy.

To our concerned lawmakers,

I am a Massachusetts resident who has been closely following climate change issues over many years. I am a strong believer in the pricing of carbon to reflect its cost to our communities, our health and our economy. I applaud your efforts to develop a low-carbon transportation policy as an effective method to encourage innovative alternatives to fossil fuel in the transportation sector. To that end, it is critical that the policy include a price on carbon and that the price is high enough to effectively reduce emissions according to the latest science. However, I am also aware that past policies have sometimes unduly and unfairly burdened vulnerable communities. Therefore, I also support a policy that includes a strong component of social equity and that doesn't hurt rural or low/moderate income people.
Most importantly, I am thankful for the extraordinary effort of this group and of the bipartisan nature of the undertaking. It is a significant accomplishment in today's political climate to put aside party differences and come together to work on such an important issue.

Dr. Mary Rose Scozzafava

We write from the Collaborative Center for Justice, which is a faith-based advocacy organization based in Hartford, CT. We are sponsored by six congregations of Women Religious around the state. Environmental justice has been one of our priority areas for our education and advocacy work over the years.

We support the development of a strong multi-state Transportation and Climate Initiative and we urge Governor Lamont to fully support participating in this critical initiative. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and emissions will continue to grow if timely action is not taken to transform our transportation system. This initiative is a critically important opportunity to make changes that will lead to an increase in clean transportation and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

We urge leaders to include provisions to prioritize investments in frontline communities that have already disproportionately borne the burdens of environmental injustices. Low-income communities and communities of color already face greater exposure to pollution from vehicle emissions, fossil fuel plants and incinerators in and near their communities. These communities need to be prioritized in the transition to clean energy. We also call upon the leaders of this initiative to meaningfully include voices from directly impacted communities in each step of the development and implementation processes.

We urge you to ensure the inclusion of the following components when developing the final program: commitment to utilizing investments to improve and expand public transportation in the state; increasing and improving bike lanes and sidewalks; and investing in expanded rail service across the state and region. This is an opportunity to make it safer, more affordable, and more possible for people to take public transportation to school and work from where they live. Increasing the frequency of buses and trains and expanding their routes are two important components to make these changes possible. It is also important to increase the availability of bike lanes so that people can safely commute from a public transit stop to another location by bike. Investment in fixing potholes, particularly on busy city streets, is also an important component of improving biker safety.

Residents who already commute to school and work by public transportation face challenges with our current system too. Many bus routes do not have frequent enough schedules to meet the needs of the residents who depend on them. In many cases, taking a bus to school or work is very time consuming because routes and connection points are limited. Bus routes need to be expanded in cities and to neighboring suburbs in order to better address this problem.

We also recommend that investments be used to transition school and public buses to electric buses. Increasing the number and expanding the locations of charging stations around the state would support the transition to electric buses and cars. Transitioning to electric buses will have important public health benefits for the children and adults who ride the buses, as well as for the wider community.

As people of faith, we concerned about the health and wellbeing of all people and our planet. We are particularly concerned about the impacts of environmental injustices on low-income communities and communities of color. We believe that there is an urgency to our actions to implement climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. As a state and region, we have a collective responsibility to make changes to our transportation sector that will address and end these injustices, and move our society toward cleaner and more equitable transportation options in the most immediate way possible. We look forward to Governor Lamont’s leadership and commitment to this critically important initiative.


Respectfully submitted,

Dwayne David Paul – Director
Rachel Lea Scott, MSW – Associate Director