2/26/2020 |
Donna |
cosgrove |
concerned voter |
philadelphia |
Pennsylvania |
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! 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! |
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3/8/2020 |
Brad |
Snyder |
Concerned voter and parent. |
Maple Grove |
Minnesota |
As a Science Teacher/Environmental Educator, Engineering/STEM Professional, Environmental/Energy/Human Health Advocate, and a concerned citizen, I wholeheartedly support the Transportation and... read more As a Science Teacher/Environmental Educator, Engineering/STEM Professional, Environmental/Energy/Human Health Advocate, and a concerned citizen, I wholeheartedly support the Transportation and Climate Initiative (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!! Climate change is effecting the Earth NOW so it is necessary that we act NOW!!
I demand a strong program that invests in creating safe roads for biking and walking, more frequent and reliable public transportation, greater access to electric vehicles, and a more equitable system with cleaner transportation options for everyone in the region!
I request Minnesota to join the plan to reduce transportation emissions and fight climate change!
Thanks! |
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1/16/2020 |
Vivian |
Frommer |
concerned, retired, mother/grandmother |
Tarrytown |
New York |
I am impressed that this is a pi-partisan effort! We need to use clean, modern, transportation here in the densely-populated North East. I know that our greatest source of air pollution comes from... read more I am impressed that this is a pi-partisan effort! We need to use clean, modern, transportation here in the densely-populated North East. I know that our greatest source of air pollution comes from transportation, so this is a practical way to reduce emissions in a large area with one grand effort! I hope New York State has formally joined the plan, and if not, that it will. And that the plan will particularly meet the needs of areas with a lot of pollution right now. I hate to think of the little children growing up in those areas, when this effort could provide at least part of the solution! We must reduce climate change, and this is one chance to start to do so in this area. Perhaps we can become a model for other areas if we do it well! |
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1/16/2020 |
Gordon |
Brockway |
Concord Municipal Light Plant |
Concord |
Massachusetts |
The people of the Town of Concord have endorsed at town meetings, and at the polls, multiple broad-based sustainability goals for emissions reductions and energy efficiency, in residences,... read more The people of the Town of Concord have endorsed at town meetings, and at the polls, multiple broad-based sustainability goals for emissions reductions and energy efficiency, in residences, businesses, municipal operations and transportation.
TCI, like the successful RGGI program, will provide crucial support for achieving these goals. I hope and expect that TCI will provide much needed resources for initiatives such as accelerating electrification of transportation, including EV's, buses, and regional rail, as well improving roads, sidewalks and trails for pedestrians, e-bikers and ordinary bikers, and accelerating new approaches such as bus rapid transit and improved last-mile access to commuter rail stations, including secure bike parking, more parking spots for cars, and shuttle services.
Current fiscal policies require that commuter rail passengers pay an extraordinary share of the cost of operating the Boston area transportation system, with fares increasing far more than gas taxes, and commuter rail fares increasing far beyond other types of mass transit. TCI represents an opportunity to both bring in new dollars for strategic improvements, and to also make the allocation more fair, between commuter rail users and drivers, and also between commuter rail and other forms of mass transit. |
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2/28/2020 |
Patricia |
McMullin |
Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals |
Boston |
Massachusetts |
Thank you for the opportunity to comment. On behalf of the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals, I am grateful for this opportunity and have attached a letter. Thank you, Patricia McMullin... Thank you for the opportunity to comment. On behalf of the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals, I am grateful for this opportunity and have attached a letter. Thank you, Patricia McMullin |
200219 TCI Letter.FINAL_.pdf |
1/29/2020 |
Andrew |
Lopez |
Connecticut College |
New London |
Connecticut |
Connecticut’s transportation sector is the biggest single emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the state at 38% of the total. This is a climate crisis, and we must immediately work to reduce... read more Connecticut’s transportation sector is the biggest single emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the state at 38% of the total. This is a climate crisis, and we must immediately work to reduce carbon emissions from trucks and cars.
I enthusiastically support a transportation plan that is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution while investing in sustainable transportation modes. Bus transit, rail, walking, and biking must be improved across the state, especially in cities and town centers.
This transportation plan is also a land use plan, and we must stop investing in a sprawling, unsustainable development model. Future development in the state must be in cities, town centers, and near transit hubs. Some of the transit hubs we have are neglected and in critical need of repair and improvement.
We should not be investing in expanding the interstate highway system. Expanding our interstates in Connecticut both increases emissions in the long term from induced demand and increased driving while putting development pressure on the state’s dwindling forests and farms.
Many cities and towns in the region have shovel-ready plans to improve transit, rail, and active transportation. We must invest in a future with more people on buses, trains, on foot, and riding bicycles. That future includes more transit-oriented development in walkable communities.
Addressing greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles also means immediate health benefits for our most overburdened populations as a result of improved air quality and fewer emissions of localized pollutants responsible for cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, among other adverse health impacts.
I write to you as a dedicated bike/ped and public transit commuter in southeastern Connecticut with asthma. Thank you for your careful consideration of this extremely important issue. We must act now.
Sincerely,
Andrew Lopez
286 Montauk Ave.
New London, CT 06320
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11/5/2019 |
Christian |
Herb |
Connecticut Energy Marketers Association |
Cromwell |
Connecticut |
I am submitting comments for you to consider as a resident and taxpayer in Connecticut to express my concern about the potential that a cap and trade program will have on our customers, employees... read more I am submitting comments for you to consider as a resident and taxpayer in Connecticut to express my concern about the potential that a cap and trade program will have on our customers, employees, business and the environment.
The plan seems to be geared toward converting millions of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs).
While EVs may be an apparently attractive way to lower emissions, we urge that greater consideration needs to be given to a number of factors that will have an impact on jobs, the economy, property values, electric reliability, emissions and family-owned businesses.
Please consider the following points and recommendations so that they can be incorporated into the final draft of the TCI:
•TCI needs to be very cautious about advantaging regulated electric monopolies that already benefit from antitrust protection and a guaranteed rate of return. According to the website Utility Dive (https://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-new-england-will-significantly-miss-2050-carbon-targets-at-curr/564726/), "Just to meet this load that comes from electrifying transportation and buildings, you have to add an electricity sector that's equal to the current electricity sector" – which is a huge gift to utility investors. Are utilities doing such a great job that they deserve these government handouts (Eversource is rated below California’s PG&E in 2019 by the American Customer Satisfaction Index)? Our business cannot compete with utilities coddled and protected by government unless, we get equivalent protection and subsidies to create a level, competitive playing field.
•With the goal of putting million’s EVs on the road, TCI should have ISO New England and the other grid operators fully evaluate the impact that this would have on the electric grid. An article published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) indicates that one EV can consume as much electricity as a home does. And as noted, we need to double power generation to meet the state’s carbon goals, an unlikely feat that will result only in supply shortages. The unintended consequence of the government heedlessly jumping onto the EV bandwagon will be rolling blackouts, with power loss to critical infrastructure such as schools, businesses, emergency responders, hospitals and nursing homes.
•The ISO’s should add to their evaluation the impact of state policies promoting electric heat pumps on the electric grid, which could require an additional 17 million MWH of power annually. TCI must understand the impact that their program has on other initiatives also looking to utilize more electricity. TCI is not operating in isolation and has the responsibility not to operate in the dark either, and ensure that electric reliability is not compromised.
•Although EVs are considered a low- or zero-emission vehicles, they are only as clean as the electricity that charges them. Connecticut is heavily reliant on natural gas to generate electricity and becoming more dependent on it as nuclear generation in the region is retired. Natural gas (methane) is more than seventy times as potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and combusting natural gas also emits carbon dioxide. According to the Department of Energy, an EV produces 4,362 lbs of CO2e per year (https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_emissions.html)– that’s almost two tons – hardly emissions-free, and that doesn’t even consider the CO2 resulting from their manufacture. TCI needs to fully understand the lifecycle impact of EVs and the source of the fuel that electricity is being generated from before EVs are designated as “clean”. It is intellectually and environmentally dishonest to claim that electricity is clean when ISO New England today (10/29/19) reports that just 8% of electric generation is renewable and 53% is generated with natural gas. Methane’s impact on climate change is an inconvenient truth. A recent study commissioned by the Connecticut Chapter of the Sierra Club (https://issuu.com/ctsierraclub/docs/hartford__ct_mobile_methane_leak_su) found that in Hartford, CT alone, gas pipelines leak approximately 43,000 cubic feet per day, or 313 metric tons per year. That is equivalent spilling and not cleaning up 320 gallons of diesel per day (or 117,000 gallons per year). Just because you can’t see natural gas leaks, it doesn’t mean that they are not there and that they are not doing environmental damage. According to Gale Ridge, PhD, a scientist and researcher on the Sierra Club study, “In a one month period, we found about 700 leaks in Hartford. Over a one-year period covering the same area, PURA reported 139 leaks. Even recognizing that some of the leaks we found are known to PURA, that’s about a 5-fold difference. We believe that CNG may be missing a large percentage of its leaks.”
•Connecticut motorists are already paying the highest gasoline taxes in New England and the 11th highest tax in America. Connecticut also has the highest diesel tax in New England and the 9th highest tax in America. Any proposal that increases the cost of fuel in our state will disproportionally harm low-income motorists and businesses when compared to states that do not participate in TCI. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council "Low-income, households of color, multifamily and renting households spend a much larger percentage of their income on energy bills than the average family." An across-the-board energy tax is therefore "regressive," i.e. "African-American and Latino households and renters in multifamily buildings who pay a disproportionate amount of their income for energy" will be greater impacted by such a tax than average- or high-income earners. Moreover, low-income families will have less means to change their energy use to lower-taxed fuels, which are prohibitively expensive to convert to. TCI needs to consider the impact of their program on low- and fixed-income families who will not be able convert to EV’s.
•Presumably, the purpose of TCI is to change consumption behavior in Connecticut and the region. But we’ve seen huge variations in energy commodity prices that haven’t affected consumption. EIA, for example, shows that gasoline consumption in Connecticut in 2015 was the same as in 2011, despite prices being more than $1/gallon less. Energy consumption is inelastic. Even if TCI is successful in increasing cost of fuel, the data clearly demonstrate that people will be paying higher prices for fuel and not curb consumption. Further inflation will result as the price of every product sold in Connecticut increases as merchants and manufacturers increase prices to account for TCI. Either that, or people will vote with their feet and leave the state or region.
Finally, even if TCI resulted in changes in consumption behavior in Connecticut, such changes will have no impact on climate change. As reported in U.S. News & World Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report claims that even if the U.S. as a whole stopped emitting all carbon dioxide emissions immediately, the ultimate impact on projected global temperature rise would be a reduction of only about 0.08°C by the year 2050. China and India will dominate global carbon emissions for the next century, and there’s little the U.S., let alone Connecticut can do, to affect this. A Princeton University study likewise predicted that even if all countries stopped emitting CO2 entirely, the Earth would continue to gradually warm, before cooling off.
I ask that TCI take all of these issues into consideration before they decide to move forward. |
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2/28/2020 |
Christian |
Herb |
Connecticut Energy Marketers Association |
Naugatuck |
Connecticut |
February 28, 2020
The Connecticut Energy Marketers Association’s (CEMA) motor fuels members own, operate and distribute gasoline to approximately 1,000 convenience stores in the... read more February 28, 2020
The Connecticut Energy Marketers Association’s (CEMA) motor fuels members own, operate and distribute gasoline to approximately 1,000 convenience stores in the state. Our members own property in virtually every municipality, pay local and state taxes, employ thousands of people, and play a vital role in Connecticut’s economy.
While electric vehicles (EV’s) may be an attractive way to lower emissions, it appears that more consideration needs to be given to several factors that will have an impact on jobs, the economy, property values, electric reliability, emissions and family owned businesses. But, it is essential that TCI does not pick winners and losers by allowing regulated utilities to unfairly use their monopolistic status to overpower private businesses that depend on free market forces to support economically viable alternatives to electricity. Allowing massive (and in some cases foreign owned) utilities to do this would be unfair, it would destroy competition, and drive local family owned companies out of business taking with them thousands of jobs.
Allowing monopolies with a guaranteed rate of return to control EV charging would not only discourage private companies from investing in future alternative fuels, but it would also have a detrimental effect on their ability to maintain the current infrastructure that motorists depend on.
Over the past decade, federal policies such as the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the Biodiesel Blenders Tax Credit, and others, have created incentives for fuel retailers to invest in infrastructure necessary to bring cleaner burning fuels to the market. Our members support policies that encourage a vibrant and competitive market that will deliver the most efficient prices to the public, but if electric utilities are allowed to exercise TCI and government granted power in the motor fueling space, private businesses will not be able to compete.
TCI needs to examine a regulatory landscape which encourages fuel retailers to invest in alternative fuels before generations of investment in thousands of locations throughout the state are irreparably harmed. We have one chance to get this right, or a major segment of the economy will be decimated.
While utilities need to play a role as EV’s enter the market, they should be focused on grid enhancements, distribution upgrades (ie. line extensions), cyber security and other issues to ensure that the “lights stay on” as demand for electricity grows - these are fundamental to the reason that they have been granted monopoly status. TCI should seek and support pathways that leverage the current fueling
network that has been privately developed to bring alternative fuels to consumers - not tip the scale in favor of electricity.
TCI also needs to be cognizant of the impact that the “electrify everything” policy that the state is pursuing will have on grid reliability, the cost electricity, and emissions.
Attached is a spreadsheet the looks at the need to add electricity supply if EV’s replace gasoline and diesel fuel for transportation purposes and the replacement of heating oil and natural gas for heating. In Connecticut, Governor Lamont’s Executive Order number three seeks to achieve zero emissions in the electric sector by 2040, coupled with the need for additional electricity capacity to meet the demand that EV’s and electric heat pumps will add to the grid is going to place immense pressure on the need for renewable energy generation.
To do that we need to look at what it would take for wind and solar to meet this goal. It is a fact that solar and wind electric power farms are much more land intensive than oil, gas, or nuclear power plants. For example: “Wind farms require up to 360 times as much land area to produce the same amount of electricity as a nuclear energy facility, a Nuclear Energy Institute analysis has found. Solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities require up to 75 times the land area.” https://www.nei.org/news/2015/land-needs-for-wind-solar-dwarf-nuclear-plants. It’s simply the nature of the science and engineering behind wind and solar plants that they are land intensive.
Given TCI goals and that the state of Connecticut wants to move entirely to renewable power plants, specifically wind and solar, for electricity generation, it’s reasonable to ask how much land such plants would consume.
SOLAR
Let’s look at solar first. Connecticut has a large solar farm currently in Somers, CT. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somers_Solar_Center It has a capacity of 5 MW of electricity, and covers 50 acres of land. According to ISO-New England, Connecticut power plants have a nameplate capacity of 8,700 MW https://iso-ne.com › grid_mkts › key_facts › final_ct_profile_2013_14
Doing the math, Connecticut would require some 1,740 solar farms the size of the one in Somers to replace all existing electric power capacity in the state, and doing another calculation, this would require some 87,000 of land use. This land area is equivalent to the total sum of all the land taken up by the cities of Hartford (11,490 acres), Bridgeport (12,400 acres), New Haven (12,870 acres), Waterbury (18,530 acres), New Britain (8,576 acres), New London (6,886 acres) and Meriden (15,440 acres).
WIND
Wind power plants come in two forms, onshore and offshore.
- Onshore
For our onshore example, we look at the Sheperds Flat wind farm in Oregon, the world’s fifth largest onshore wind farm. https://www.power-technology.com/projects/shepherds-flat-wind-farm-oregon/
This wind farm has a capacity of 845 MW and covers some 80 square kilometers. We calculate that 10.3 such wind farms would be needed to replace CT’s 8,700 nameplate capacity, and these would span some 823.7 square kilometers. As Connecticut consists of 14,360 km in area, more than twice the area of the solar plant described above.
- Offshore
Since solar and onshore wind power plants take up so much land space, perhaps an offshore wind plant in Long Island Sound would be preferable. After all, there are no homes or businesses to disrupt out in the Sound.
The world’s largest offshore wind power plant is the Walney Extension wind farm off the coast of England. https://www.power-technology.com/features/largest-offshore-windfarm-world/ Unfortunately, as we shall see, the news isn’t good. The British wind farm has a capacity of 659 MW and is spread over 145 sq. kilometers in the North Sea. To replace CT’s 8,700 nameplate capacity, we’d need some 13.2 Walney-sized windfarms which would cover an expanse of 1,914 sq km of Long Island Sound. But the Sound only covers 3,056 sq km. In other words, this huge wind farm would choke off Long Island Sound, covering 62.6% of its entire surface area. This would mean a wind farm covering every square meter of Long Island Sound from the New York border to Rhode Island, and penetrating from a few miles into the sound at its narrowest point, to over 100 miles at its widest point.
Connecticut and TCI should be cautious before committing to entirely replacing Connecticut’s current power capacity with wind and solar power plants to accommodate EV’s. There are physical constraints to making such wholesale conversion possible. In the meantime, Connecticut can transition to a net-carbon zero energy source in the heating sector, elevating the need to put any additional burden on the existing electric power grid, through the use of biodiesel. Why further burden the grid by adding electric heat pumps, when electrons can be saved with liquid fuels that can deliver on emissions reductions that help the state comply with the greenhouse gas reductions required under the Global Warming Solutions Act? Since biodiesel and renewable diesel can be used as a transportation fuel (along with other low carbon fuels), the state can significantly reduce demand on the grid and significantly lowering emissions by utilizing the potential of local businesses to sell low/net zero liquid fuel to the public.
We know that Connecticut is concerned about increasing what are already the highest electricity rates in America, and as business owners we are troubled about the impact that potentially billions of dollars in ratepayer investment that will be needed to upgrade the grid to accommodate TCI goals, subsidizing new clean electric generation sources to accommodate those goals, the subsidization of EV infrastructure, and EV incentives will have on rates. We believe that TCI should put as much effort into finding low carbon/zero carbon liquid fuels, that utilize existing infrastructure that has been privately developed, as they are into electrification of the transportation sector.
Before Connecticut has even adopted any of the costly suggestions that have been made by EV industry advocates, Eversource customers will pay 15.8% more for electricity in 2020 and United Illuminating (UI) customers will realize 26.4% increase (which equates to average customer using 750 kilowatt hours a month paying $9.65 and $16.55 more per month with Eversource and UI respectively)! Connecticut needs to factor costs in and “right size” their electrification plans before fixed income and low-income families are disproportionally affected by the proliferation of EV’s and the infrastructure that comes with TCI’s plans. TCI needs to address the question of who benefits from all the costs that go into creating an EV future for Connecticut and the region, and needs to avoid the mistakes that have advantaged the wealthy over low and middle income families.
Of the 57,066 households that received the federal EV tax credit in 2016, 78% had at least a six-figure income and 7% reported more than $1 million in income, while less than 1% of all EV credits went to households earning less than $50,000 in 2014, meaning that about half of Americans receive virtually no benefit from the credit. EV manufactures data shows that EV’s are overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy. Tesla’s customers have an average household income of $293,200 while even the buyers of the more modestly-priced electric Ford Focus have an average income of $199,000. On top of the EV tax credit, electric cars owners don’t pay gas taxes to help support the roads they use, shifting more of the burden onto other drivers, contributing to a funding deficit that support our roads and bridges. PURA should not create incentives to purchase EV that will only benefit citizens who would be able to afford them without it.
TCI also, has to ask the question are we trading one type of pollution for another? Much of the literature noted that EV’s emit less CO2 than traditional internal combustion powered engines (ICE). However, the makeup of the electric grid plays a role in the release of other gaseous pollutants and particulates. According to Weeberb J.Requia’s “How Clean Are Electric Vehicles? Evidence-based Review of the Effects of Electric Mobility on Air Pollutants, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Human Health”, in China, even with an electric grid largely powered by coal, EV’s decrease CO2 emissions by 20% compared to ICE’s. However, in the same study, emissions of PM10, PM2.5, NOx, and SO2 emissions increased 360%, 250%, 120% and 370%, respectively.
The environmental impact of EV batteries cannot be ignored and needs to be a part of PURA plan. Li-ion battery production primarily occurs in China and South Korea, whose electricity mix is generally carbon-
intensive. Han Hao’s “GHG Emissions from the Production of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles in China.” (April 4, 2017) showed that the GHG emissions were nearly 30% higher than those for comparable ICE’s. EV battery materials impact the environment in different ways. Batteries that use large amounts of aluminum LiMnO2 and LiFePO4, for instance, have a greater impact on ozone depletion. At the end of the day, TCI needs to factor in the environmental impact of EV batteries and their disposal. A lifecycle analysis of EV and the infrastructure needed to support them needs to be done comparing them to low emissions liquid fuels before ratepayers are burdened with more costs and environmental issues.
Finally, the current electric grid is not clean and adding EV’s (and electric heat pumps) to it will only exacerbate the need for natural gas to ensure that we have enough power to support current demand and the additional demand that EV’s will create. According to Gale Ridge, PhD, a scientist and researcher, “In a one month period, we found about 700 [natural gas] leaks in Hartford. Over a one year period covering the same area, PURA reported 139 leaks. Even recognizing that some of the leaks we found are known to PURA, that’s about a 5 fold difference. We believe that CNG may be missing a large percentage of its leaks.” Current overreliance on natural gas is clearly causing greater methane and CO2 emissions and a massive expansion of EV’s in Connecticut will only drive more emissions for a grid that depends on natural gas to power the state. PURA should not move forward with any plan to electrify the transportation sector until they can verify that the electricity that is being use to power EV is truly emissions free.
We urge TCI to address all of these issues before a final plan is proposed to Connecticut.
Respectfully,
Christian A. Herb
President
|
TCI Final Comments 2_28_20.pdf |
11/6/2019 |
Bryan |
Garcia |
Connecticut Green Bank |
Rocky Hill |
Connecticut |
Please see attached Please see attached |
Green Bank TCI input.pdf |
11/6/2019 |
Matt |
Macunas |
Connecticut Green Bank |
Rocky Hill |
Connecticut |
Please see attached comments from Electrify America, CT Green Bank, and Climate Neutral Business Network. Please see attached comments from Electrify America, CT Green Bank, and Climate Neutral Business Network. |
EVCCC Input on TCI Nov 2019 Final.pdf |
2/28/2020 |
Matt |
Macunas |
Connecticut Green Bank |
Statewide |
Connecticut |
Please see the attached program design input, resubmitted from 2/27 with updated signatories. Please see the attached program design input, resubmitted from 2/27 with updated signatories. |
TCI Comment - CGB, CNBN, UGO, VC.pdf |
1/29/2020 |
Jessica |
Kurose |
Connecticut Resident |
Sandy Hook |
Connecticut |
We need to do everything we can to reduce green house gas emissions and one of those things is to fix our transportation system. Here are some of the things I agree with environmental agencies on... read more We need to do everything we can to reduce green house gas emissions and one of those things is to fix our transportation system. Here are some of the things I agree with environmental agencies on:
1. Connecticut’s transportation sector is the biggest single emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the state at 38% of the total. This is a climate crisis, and we must immediately work to address the greatest challenge of our generation.
2. I support a transportation plan that is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution while investing in sustainable transportation modes. Bus transit, rail, walking, and biking must be improved across the state, especially in cities and town centers.
3. This transportation plan is also a land use plan, and we must stop investing in a sprawling, unsustainable development model. Future development in the state must be in cities, town centers, and near transit stations.
4. We should not be investing in expanding interstates. Expanding our interstates in Connecticut both increases emissions in the long term from induced demand and increased driving while putting development pressure on the state’s dwindling forests and farms.
5. Many cities and towns in the region have shovel-ready plans to improve transit, rail, and active transportation. We must invest in a future with more people on buses, trains, on foot, and riding bicycles. That future includes more transit-oriented development in walkable communities.
6. Addressing greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles also means immediate health benefits for our most overburdened populations as a result of improved air quality and fewer emissions of localized pollutants responsible for cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular ailments, among other adverse health impacts. |
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2/24/2020 |
Eva |
Andersen |
Connecticut Resident/Student |
Cos Cob |
Connecticut |
I think that it is very important to modernize and build new public transportation throughout the state of Connecticut. Many of the current transportation systems in place are old and inefficient... read more I think that it is very important to modernize and build new public transportation throughout the state of Connecticut. Many of the current transportation systems in place are old and inefficient. Constructing new transportation that prioritizes efficiency, especially in terms of energy, will be extremely important during a time of growing climate crisis. Good public transportation helps those who are unable to afford vehicles have greater access to jobs and opportunity, stimulating economic growth. When a public transportation system is modernized, people will be more likely to use it, generating revenue for the system and cutting down on emissions from cars. Most importantly, implementing public transportation that runs on clean energy will be an extremely important step towards reducing environmental impact in the current environmental crisis. Improvements to public transportation should include: an expansion of charging stations for electric vehicles, electric buses charged by solar power, and an increase in public railways to connect parts of Connecticut while reducing carbon output. |
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2/23/2020 |
Orin |
Robinson |
Conservation |
Mystic |
Connecticut |
Needed for emissions control
Electric school buses
Electric police cars
Electric charging stations Needed for emissions control
Electric school buses
Electric police cars
Electric charging stations |
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1/16/2020 |
Joan |
Harlowe |
conservation commission, Burke |
East Burke |
Vermont |
When I moved here in 1960 there was a passenger train that stopped in Lyndonville and later a bus. Now there is no regular public transportation and no train within over 100 miles. To go anywhere... read more When I moved here in 1960 there was a passenger train that stopped in Lyndonville and later a bus. Now there is no regular public transportation and no train within over 100 miles. To go anywhere we need to drive. |
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5/6/2019 |
Staci |
Rubin |
Conservation Law Foundation |
Boston |
Massachusetts |
I plan to attend the upcoming stakeholder event on May 15 in Newark, New Jersey. I recommend that the states and Georgetown Climate Center invite Ironbound Community Corporation and the New... read more I plan to attend the upcoming stakeholder event on May 15 in Newark, New Jersey. I recommend that the states and Georgetown Climate Center invite Ironbound Community Corporation and the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance to present. At the April 30, 2019 event in Boston and preceding events, we heard comments about the need for environmental justice leaders to be at the table and leading the TCI discussions. To facilitate that vision, I hope that the stakeholder event organizers compensate speakers from environmental justice communities for their time, not just their travel, to participate on May 15.
Thank you for considering my recommendation.
Staci Rubin
Senior Attorney
Conservation Law Foundation |
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2/28/2020 |
Staci |
Rubin |
Conservation Law Foundation |
Boston |
Massachusetts |
Please see the attached comments of Conservation Law Foundation ("CLF") in support of the December 17, 2019 draft memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) of the Transportation and Climate... read more Please see the attached comments of Conservation Law Foundation ("CLF") in support of the December 17, 2019 draft memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) of the Transportation and Climate Initiative (“TCI”) and recommending several changes for incorporation into the final MOU. |
CLF Comments on TCI Regional DRAFT MOU 2.28.20.pdf |
3/20/2020 |
Staci |
Rubin |
Conservation Law Foundation |
Boston |
Massachusetts |
Please see the attached joint comments of 44 signatories throughout the TCI region regarding equity and equitable investments, including our recommendations for the final memorandum of... read more Please see the attached joint comments of 44 signatories throughout the TCI region regarding equity and equitable investments, including our recommendations for the final memorandum of understanding. Please let Staci Rubin know if you have questions. |
Equity & Investments Joint TCI Letter 3.20.20.pdf |
11/2/2019 |
Dorothy |
Cookson |
Conservation voter |
Augusta |
Maine |
We deserve clean transportation options to move into the future to ensure a healthier life for our children and grandchildren. We deserve clean transportation options to move into the future to ensure a healthier life for our children and grandchildren. |
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2/24/2020 |
Glenn |
Schlippert |
Conservation Voters of PA |
Etters |
Pennsylvania |
Reducing pollution from transportation is a key component to reducing Pennsylvania's emissions. Public transit investments that could be made with TCI proceeds would be valuable. Leaders... read more Reducing pollution from transportation is a key component to reducing Pennsylvania's emissions. Public transit investments that could be made with TCI proceeds would be valuable. Leaders should choose the aggressive greenhouse gas reduction target that the most recent climate science tells us we need. I urge that the policy prioritizes clean investments in areas overburdened by pollution and/or for those who don’t have access to transportation choices.
Too many of our public buses and trains run on dirty energy and contribute to air pollution and climate change. Many trains, buses, and stations haven’t been retrofitted in decades. For many people in rural parts of our states, there are zero viable public transportation options, which forces them to drive.
By making polluters pay and creating a dedicated source of funding through TCI, we’ll finally be able to move our state to a 21st-century regional transportation system that is cleaner, more reliable, more accessible, and more affordable. We’ll see less traffic, thousands of new jobs, and less dangerous air pollution. All communities — whether urban, suburban, or rural — will benefit.
Our air is making too many of us sick — and if history is a guide, it’s not going to get better on its own. We need to take bold and concerted action to reduce the carbon impact of our transportation system, and TCI’s combination of using pricing policies that discourage polluters and modernizing our public transportation system will do exactly that. |
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