2/20/2020 |
Dan |
Dinale |
Maine Resident |
Glenburn |
Maine |
I own enough forested land to offset my carbon creation. I suggest you f**k off and tax the people living in large dense cities who contribute to this problem. I own enough forested land to offset my carbon creation. I suggest you f**k off and tax the people living in large dense cities who contribute to this problem. |
Proposal.pdf |
2/26/2020 |
Dan |
Esposito |
Individual |
Manhattan Beach |
California |
Please reduce emissions, and invest in a cleaner transportation system. Thank you. Please reduce emissions, and invest in a cleaner transportation system. Thank you. |
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2/28/2020 |
Dan |
Bowerson |
Alliance for Automotive Innovation |
Southfield |
Michigan |
Please find the attached comments from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents 99% of cars and light trucks sold in the U.S., tier-one original equipment suppliers, as well as... read more Please find the attached comments from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents 99% of cars and light trucks sold in the U.S., tier-one original equipment suppliers, as well as technology and other automotive-related companies.
In summary, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation recommends that in order to accomplish the goals of the TCI, the program should:
• Establish consistent policies across regional and state lines
• Reduce the carbon intensity of liquid fuels
• Reduce the cost barrier with vehicle incentives for electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles
• Build out electric vehicle charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure
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Auto Innovators Comments_TCI MOU_200228.pdf |
10/14/2020 |
Dan |
Esposito |
Individual |
Manhattan Beach |
California |
Please ensure clean transportation in the Northeast. Thank you. Please ensure clean transportation in the Northeast. Thank you. |
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10/31/2019 |
Dana |
Smith |
Maine Resident |
Waterboro |
Maine |
An increase in fuel tax, on an already overtaxed state like Maine is absurd. The state is bigger that the rest of new england, and very rural. Increasing the fuel tax will do nothing but further... read more An increase in fuel tax, on an already overtaxed state like Maine is absurd. The state is bigger that the rest of new england, and very rural. Increasing the fuel tax will do nothing but further harm our lower income, scree the middle class, and make the state unbearable for our elderly and retired. Not smart. Stay out of this agreement! |
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11/2/2019 |
Dana |
Francey |
Taxpayer |
Glenburn |
Maine |
Electricity is Maine is so expensive that efficient hybrids are more cost effective than electric vehicles, especially in the cold months. Please stop pushing EVs with tax breaks and added taxes... read more Electricity is Maine is so expensive that efficient hybrids are more cost effective than electric vehicles, especially in the cold months. Please stop pushing EVs with tax breaks and added taxes at the pump paid by the rest of us. Make the EV drivers pay their fair share of road maintenance taxes we pay at the pump too. |
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11/27/2019 |
Dana |
Krueger |
Krueger Food Laboratories, Inc. |
Chelmsford |
Massachusetts |
I am strongly opposed to the Transportation and Climate Initiative and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' potential participation in it. I do not believe that control of CO2 emissions from... read more I am strongly opposed to the Transportation and Climate Initiative and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' potential participation in it. I do not believe that control of CO2 emissions from combustion of transportation fuels is a legitimate or a socially beneficial onjective of state legislation. To the extent that such regulation is nonetheless deemed necessary, it should be regulated through fuel tax policy, voted on and administered by the state legislature, not through an opaque and unaccountable regional authority. Further, many aspects of the proposed initiative involve delegations of power and authority substantially unrelated to the stated objective. I believe that this entire program is a special interest power grab to achieve new regulatory and taxing authority, outside of the normal legislative and executive processes.
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1/13/2020 |
Dana |
Beal |
GOP |
Hancock |
Maine |
Increasing the cost of gasoline and heating oil is an outrageously unfair idea. Maine citizens have to drive long distances to work and back and are unable to rely upon mass transit which is... read more Increasing the cost of gasoline and heating oil is an outrageously unfair idea. Maine citizens have to drive long distances to work and back and are unable to rely upon mass transit which is nearly non existent. Heating oil is a inescapable necessity to survive Maine winters. Raising the cost of living in this State is a terrible idea and will end up forcing many citizens to depart for other States with much lower taxes and much lower energy costs. |
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2/27/2020 |
Dana |
Smith |
None |
Waterboro |
Maine |
Approaching this by raising costs for rural Maine is absurd. Let's find better ways to reduce emissions besides screwing the working class. read more Approaching this by raising costs for rural Maine is absurd. Let's find better ways to reduce emissions besides screwing the working class. |
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2/28/2020 |
Dana |
Mecomber |
Port Authority of NY & NJ |
New York |
New York |
February 28, 2020
Transportation & Climate Initiative
Draft Memorandum of Understanding of the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI)
Comments from the Port... read more February 28, 2020
Transportation & Climate Initiative
Draft Memorandum of Understanding of the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI)
Comments from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (Port Authority) builds, operates and maintains infrastructure critical to the New York/New Jersey region's trade and transportation network. These facilities include the country's busiest airport system, marine terminals and ports, the PATH rail transit system, six tunnels and bridges between New York and New Jersey, the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, and the World Trade Center site. For more than eight decades, the Port Authority has worked to improve the quality of life for the more than 18 million people who live and work in the New York and New Jersey Metropolitan Region - a region that supports 9.2 million jobs.
In October 2018, the Port Authority embraced the Paris Climate Agreement, making it the first US transportation agency to do so. The Port Authority is committed to reducing emissions associated with our facilities and improving air quality for neighboring communities. This includes a variety of innovative programs and initiatives to conserve energy, increase our use of renewable energy, and transition vehicles and equipment from fossil-fuel to zero-emissions models.
The Port Authority wishes to reiterate its support of the Transportation & Climate Initiative and encourage both New York and New Jersey to participate in the program as Signatory Jurisdictions. As a bi-state transportation agency that enables the movement of people and goods throughout the region, we believe there is a strong need for regional, collaborative solutions to address transportation-related emissions. Furthermore, given the significant impact that Ports and Airports have in environmental justice communities and our focus on reducing emissions from these facilities, we have a deep understanding of how TCI proceeds can be used to address emissions that impact these communities.
The Port Authority respectfully submits the following comments on the Draft Memorandum of Understanding for the Transportation and Climate Initiative.
1. Affected fuel: Significant emissions stem from equipment at the seaports and airports that operate on off-road diesel. Given the overwhelming presence of these facilities in environmental justice neighborhoods, we believe that both diesel and gasoline emissions should be capped to equally treat fuels that have significant on and off-road utilization. Also, as noted in our November 5, 2019 comment letter on the TCI framework, it should be noted that some off-road equipment at the airports run on gasoline and thus the emissions cap on gasoline and on-road diesel may unequally impact equipment types and owners within the same category.
2. Support for emissions sources that face the greatest challenges to decarbonize: The impact of emissions from vehicles and equipment that do not have a viable electric option in the near future should not be overlooked in the determination of how proceeds should be used. Even if an electric model is commercially available, the barriers to conversion for off-road equipment and heavy-duty trucks are higher than they are for passenger EVs or even buses, due to the increased cost premium, usage needs, and round-the-clock operations of specialty equipment. Again, given the overwhelming concentration of these types of equipment in environmental justice communities, enabling emissions reductions in this sector will provide the most impact to EJ community residents. Supporting low-carbon liquid fuels, funding demonstrations of newly introduced electric equipment, and funding charging infrastructure at seaports and airports are essential tools for addressing emissions from these sources. Given the cross-jurisdictional nature of TCI and emissions from air, rail and marine people and goods movement, it makes sense for TCI proceeds to be used to accelerate decarbonization in these sectors of the economy.
3. Targeted support for conversion to electric for-hire vehicles: For-hire vehicles have higher levels of utilization than most passenger vehicles. These vehicles are among the biggest sources of emissions at Port Authority facilities - second only to aircraft at our airports. Independent drivers are more likely to convert their vehicles to electric if they have financial support to cover the higher up-front cost of EVs, and strategic investment in fast-charging infrastructure to support these fleets - for example at airports - would achieve meaningful GHG reductions and improve air quality and reduce noise in surrounding communities, many of which are environmental justice communities.
The Port Authority commends both New York and New Jersey for their stakeholder engagement on TCI, and strongly encourages both States to participate in the cap-and-invest program. We look forward to continued collaboration to make this program as effective as possible in catalyzing the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Sincerely,
Christine Weydig, Director
Environmental and Energy Programs
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
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PANYNJ comments final TCI MOU February 2020.pdf |
5/20/2019 |
Daniel |
Gage |
NGVAmerica |
Washington |
District of Columbia |
NGVAmerica is the national trade organization dedicated to the development of a growing, profitable, and sustainable market for vehicles and carriers powered by clean, affordable and abundant... read more NGVAmerica is the national trade organization dedicated to the development of a growing, profitable, and sustainable market for vehicles and carriers powered by clean, affordable and abundant natural gas or biomethane. Our 200-plus member companies produce, distribute, and market natural gas and biomethane, manufacture and service natural gas vehicles, engines, and equipment, and operate fleets powered by clean-burning gaseous fuels across North America.
Several NGVAmerica member company representatives and I attended TCI’s April 30th Technical Workshop in Boston and participated via live stream in TCI’s May 15th Workshop in Newark. I provide these comments on behalf of our industry to compliment those discussions.
NGVAmerica endorses strategies that support the transition to low-carbon transportation fuels, including geologic and renewable natural gas. Converting the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions’ heavy- and medium-duty freight and transit transportation network to natural gas accelerates the transition to a low-carbon transportation future. Further, cap-and-invest program resources invested in natural gas technologies would significantly and immediately benefit all communities, particularly those underserved by current transportation options and overburdened by pollution.
Cleaner Air Starts with Cleaner Trucks and Buses
Increased use of natural gas as a transportation fuel provides immediate and significant criteria and toxic air pollutant reductions. Fact: the cleanest commercially-available heavy-duty engine in the world is powered by natural gas now and for the foreseeable future. Designed, built, and manufactured in America by Cummins Westport, this engine is certified to a 0.02 g/bhp-hr. standard, making it 90 percent cleaner than the EPA’s current NOx emissions requirement and 90 percent cleaner than the cleanest diesel engine. And in real-life study, these engines emitted lower NOx emissions than certified. Replacing just one traditional diesel-burning heavy-duty truck with one new Ultra Low-NOx natural gas truck is the emissions equivalent of removing 119 traditional combustion engines cars off our roads. Heavy-duty equals heavy impact.
Carbon-Neutral/Negative Freight with RNG
Natural gas engines offer significant climate change benefits. Compared to diesel, natural gas engines fueled with geologic natural gas reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 17 percent. When fueled with renewable natural gas (RNG or biomethane) captured from agricultural, food, landfill or wastewater, even greater CO2 and greenhouse gas benefits are achieved, up to 125 percent lower than diesel. Fueling with RNG is carbon-neutral, even carbon-negative, depending on the feed stock. No better commercially-available and deployable alternative fuel option currently exists for the heavy-duty sector.
Address Noise Pollution
Natural gas vehicle technology affordably addresses noise pollution in urban neighborhoods. A U.S. Department of Energy study identified significant noise reduction benefits as a motivator for many refuse collection truck operators in accepting the technology, citing up to 10 decibels quieter than their diesel counterparts. A 2016 in-use study of diesel and CNG urban transit buses in Serbia found considerable reductions in noise pollution when powered by CNG.
Invest Impactfully
Investments in Ultra Low-NOx and Near Zero emission natural gas vehicle technologies greatly impact underserved and marginalized communities. Natural gas transportation provides the largest and most cost-effective reductions in transportation-related pollutants than any other powertrain option commercially-available today or near-term.
As such, investments in RNG-fueled trucks and transit buses accessing ports, cities, and densely-populated neighborhoods are the most immediate and fiscally-responsible investment to clean our air and combat climate change. Communities get more clean vehicles having greater clean air and climate impact for the money with natural gas than with any other alternative fuel option, especially electric. No other transportation fuel is as sustainable, adaptive, and competitive across all applications and vehicle classes. And heavy-duty natural gas trucks are not demonstration science projects; they are proven, scalable, and on U.S. roads today.
Natural gas fueling pays into the federal highway trust fund and is ready-right-now technology. It is road-tested and backed by a mature network of manufacturers, servicers, and suppliers coast-to-coast. An established refueling infrastructure of 2,000 stations already exists.
It is also important to note that while 34 U.S. states produce geologic natural gas, the potential to produce renewable natural gas exists in every U.S. state and the District of Columbia by taking the problem of fugitive methane gas created from organic waste, capturing it, then using it to fuel traditionally heavy-carbon freight and transit transportation applications. In addition to its clean air and climate benefits, the development of RNG facilities also supports the agriculture industry with new revenue streams, addresses the Northeast’s solid waste issue, and impacts watershed management efforts and nitrogen runoff concerns.
Geologic and renewable natural gas is a 100 percent domestic fuel, unlike limited electric vehicle battery components that are controlled by foreign interests and mostly sourced from conflict countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
More than four in ten Americans live in communities with dangerously dirty air. According to the American Lung Association, that number continues to rise, from 125 million in 2017 to nearly 141.1 million today. Cap-and-invest program investments in natural gas vehicle technologies offer the most proven, cost-effective, and immediate way to promote a low carbon transportation future, clean our air, and provide more affordable, accessible, and reliable transportation opportunities for marginalized and underserved communities.
Thank you for your consideration.
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NGVA TCI comments FINAL 5 20 19.pdf |
5/27/2019 |
Daniel |
Foskey |
DE Dept. Of Transportation |
Rehoboth Beach |
Delaware |
Hello, Dan Foskey, and I have worked in the highway tolls industry for 25 years now. My main concern is that in our state there is not a big push by either DelDOT or DNREC to promote EV vehicles... read more Hello, Dan Foskey, and I have worked in the highway tolls industry for 25 years now. My main concern is that in our state there is not a big push by either DelDOT or DNREC to promote EV vehicles. I feel we need to have policies in place to start effectively combating carbon fuel emissions that are continuing to cause greenhouse effects in our atmosphere. The policy should set a carbon price high enough to effectively reduce carbon emissions but also be implemented with a social equity component as to not hurt rural communities and low to moderate income people. We would like the policy to further encourage the purchase of EV vehicles by state and local agencies as well as the motoring public. We appreciate the bipartisan effort being made on this project and we hope that a good solution will be the outcome. Thanks sincerely for your time. |
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5/27/2019 |
Daniel |
Bostwick |
Citizen |
Bedford |
Massachusetts |
I am a member of a group of concerned citizens that are developing a plan to reduce carbon emissions generated by building operations in our town. We feel this is an issue we can address to some... read more I am a member of a group of concerned citizens that are developing a plan to reduce carbon emissions generated by building operations in our town. We feel this is an issue we can address to some degree locally. However, to reduce GHG emissions from the transportation sector we need regional efforts such as the TCI. I am fully supportive of the TCI and request that the resulting policy have a price that's high enough to effectively reduce emissions and at the same time protect rural and low/moderate income populations. I am grateful to see bipartisan support for the TCI. |
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10/22/2019 |
Daniel |
Pendergast |
Maine citizen |
Brunswick |
Maine |
Initiatives like this would absolutely devistate a rural state like Maine. I'm a hybrid plug-in owner; I believe in conservation, but slamming through crippling taxes on a state that... read more Initiatives like this would absolutely devistate a rural state like Maine. I'm a hybrid plug-in owner; I believe in conservation, but slamming through crippling taxes on a state that naturally already struggles to compete economically (I say naturally, but how much is from decades of willful disdain of economic realities?) is short sighted at best, if not just down right cruel. Please THINK about the repercussions of your actions, not just your long term pipe dreams (or nightmares as the case may be, despite that those have so consistently been proven to be not entirely well founded). Maine does not need this, and outside of insular bastions in the state, DOES NOT WANT IT. |
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11/5/2019 |
Daniel |
Chahel |
James Madison Shell |
Vienna |
Virginia |
This will have a serious negative impact on our industry, including all of our employees and their families. Please do not adopt this policy! This will have a serious negative impact on our industry, including all of our employees and their families. Please do not adopt this policy! |
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11/5/2019 |
Daniel |
Collins |
New England Power Generators Association |
Boston |
Massachusetts |
Please find attached comments from the New England Power Generators Association on the Transportation and Climate Initiative's Framework for a Draft Policy Proposal. read more Please find attached comments from the New England Power Generators Association on the Transportation and Climate Initiative's Framework for a Draft Policy Proposal. |
NEPGA_Comments_TCI Framework.pdf |
11/9/2019 |
Daniel |
Felock |
Tax Payer |
HOLBROOK |
Massachusetts |
No taxation without representation...sound familiar! No taxation without representation...sound familiar! |
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12/1/2019 |
Daniel |
Simard |
Park Bridge Properties, LLC |
Tewksbury |
Massachusetts |
We already rejected your gas tax.
In this age of “global warming” , I suggest you stick your proposal where the sun don’t shine !! We already rejected your gas tax.
In this age of “global warming” , I suggest you stick your proposal where the sun don’t shine !! |
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12/1/2019 |
Daniel |
Picard |
Democrat |
South Boston |
Massachusetts |
The people of Massachusetts DO NOT want any more taxes on anything, especially gasoline. Wake up Gov. Baker or you will be voted out and maybe a real Republican can take over! The people of Massachusetts DO NOT want any more taxes on anything, especially gasoline. Wake up Gov. Baker or you will be voted out and maybe a real Republican can take over! |
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12/5/2019 |
Daniel |
McLaughlin |
independant |
Berkley |
Massachusetts |
I am opposed to this automatic tax increase on fuel. We are to be charged a carbon tax, how do we get a carbon credit? I own over two acres of land which is 95% tree covered, that should more... read more I am opposed to this automatic tax increase on fuel. We are to be charged a carbon tax, how do we get a carbon credit? I own over two acres of land which is 95% tree covered, that should more than adequately cover my carbon emissions. People driving electric cars, which pollute at the power generation plant, would not pay anything? This is just another money grab. Massachusetts currently has a budget surplus of one billion dollars, put it aside as an endowment to fund climate initiatives and stop increasing costs to taxpayers. |
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