TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

With an average per capita income in Maine of slightly over $53K and 25% of its residents receiving Social Security...myself included) it occurs to me that most residents would not be able to afford to buy a $55K vehicle, regardless of which fuel it uses! My income certainly would not allow me to buy one. Has this not occurred to anyone in the current administration? And, adding taxes onto already high gasoline prices would be punitive to those who are already financially struggling, just to enable those who CAN afford an expensive vehicle. This policy is like punishing someone who can only afford a used Chevy, in order to subsidize the driver of a Mercedes!

Maine is one of the most rural states in the country, with most people traveling for work. I’m 26 years old with an engineering degree and I must travel 110 miles from home to work. Taxes are not the answer, as we are already one of the top taxed states in the nation. If we continue to impose new taxes on Mainers you will not have to worry about charging stations because most people are going to leave. What we need are companies brining jobs to the people.

Hardworking Mainers can not afford the fuel hike that Governor Mills wants to impose. Outside of Cumberland County, the majority of Mainers are rural. That means driving distances just to get to work. Myself, I live in Belfast and used to have to commute to Bangor every days, a 40-mile 1 way trip. When Bush was in office and gas hit over $4 per gallon, I was forced to change to working 4 10+ hour days instead of 5 8-hour days just to save on the gas costs.

Governor Mills wants to send us back to those days, when people have to choose between paying for the gas to keep getting to work or paying other bills. It's unreasonable, and unwarranted. This is not California. The Democrats in the Portland area are NOT representative of Maine itself. This must NOT be permitted.

This isn't what we need in the state of maine ,we need better leadership your being told maine people dont want this crap your forcing on us listen to the people

We don't need more expense that this initiative will bring. Please don't do it!

She’s out of her mind. Global warming, climate change is a hoax. If she want to stagnate our economy by all means up the price of gas. She’s aligned herself with the mainstream Dems. at the federal level. When have any of those idiots had an idea that will help everyday Americans?

Enough with the taxes, the fees, the permits, and so on and so forth. We’ve passed mandatory paid sick leave, there’s a cost for small business. We have raised the minimum wage resulting in rate increases at various businesses. Just stop.

We strongly oppose any and all proposals being put forth by Gov Mills in regards to increasing Maine’s electronic cars, charging stations, and plans to hike gas prices, which would be a great hardship on the hard working people of Maine. Please oppose and stop this change to our state by Gov Mills, Maine people do not want or need this agenda to move forward.

TCI is not a good fit for Maine. Most of our residents are hard working people already stretching to afford inexpensive used vehicles and will not be able to buy electric or hybrids. Add to that the vast distances required in most of the state necessary to visit a doctor, get to school or work, even to get groceries and this makes zero sense - punishing hard working folks just for choosing to live in a rural area... often the only place they can actually find an affordable house. This is punishment to the core of the Maine way of life - the farmers, the fishermen and lobstermen, the forestry industry who depend on fossil fuels because their work requires it. Sometimes there are no electric alternatives for the task - rain or shine, in the middle of nowhere, where lives and earnings depend on the strength and reliability of fossil fuel engines. Governor Mills, stop punishing the hard working people of Maine with new taxes - we have enough already. No two ways about it - this is a tax serving an agenda and not the hard working everyday people of Maine.