TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

I’m not going to go on some long winded rant, I’m just going to leave it at this: you can’t snap your fingers and make new technologies just appear. Create incentives for new behavior, not penalties for behavior that is currently essential just to live (consuming gasoline or diesel). This will create a highly unnecessary burden for Maine taxpayers, and the people will be VERY angry (remember the response to Dean Rikersons proposal?). Let’s work on new tech and moving away from foreign oil dependence, but let’s not, once again, create another financial burden for Maine business and Maine residents. Thanks.

After reviewing many of the comments posted to date was well as the draft framework policy proposal, I offer the following:
1. The predicted climate impacts due to our current trajectory of injecting GHGs into the environment is settled science with the caveat that due to the complexity of earth’s climate engine and the uncertainty of our collective mitigation actions, the statistical margins of error in the predictions leave room for debate as to any one specific outcome. But what is certain is that at some point in the near decades we will reach a point where attempting to reverse the damage in any reasonable time frame will become highly unlikely without resorting to risky geoengineering solutions (e.g. aerosols inserted into the atmosphere to block sunlight) with a ton of potentially unintended consequences such as significant impacts to crop production.
2. Any course of action must not disproportionately come back on low income communities which already have a higher exposure to toxic environments. Similarly, rural areas could see a bigger impact if fuel costs are significantly raised, due to carbon taxing/offsets, as a necessary step in lowering emissions – this must be counterbalanced.
3. The idea that we should depend on as yet undiscovered “wonder technologies” or fusion base energy sources to invent our way out of the crisis is way too risky. One does not go to war with a strategy that depend on weapons not even thought of.
4. That said, both businesses and individuals must ramp up their contributions to mitigation efforts. Politicians never use the word “sacrifice”, election implications being what they are, but that is what we will have to do. There is no climate mitigation free lunch and those that have more should sacrifice more.
5. Many questions remain about the exact mechanisms that will be used to reverse the increase in transportation related emissions – DEC/TCI/NYSERDA should provide a few detailed plausible scenarios to illustrate the entire process flow from energy supplier to consumer.

This transportation and climate initiative is built of false data and will do nothing but rob money from the people of my state of Maine and give it to rich people elsewhere. It will also drive business to China where they have no laws on polution and this will be a losing situation for everyone. Thank you.

I believe you people (climate change activists) are out of your god damn minds!
Stop trying to eliminate fossil fuels! Electric cars will NEVER be a viable option.
STOP taxing (yes a fee is a TAX) the consumer. Stop trying to force us to get rid of our automobiles.
The Earth is going through a cycle, science PROVES this!
I will fight to the very end to NOT let the TCI ever become law.
You should be ashamed of yourself.

This is not OK! And I hadn’t heard anything about it. This should be for the citizens to decide.

This makes no sense for the people of Maine! It will be an oppressive burden on all the citizens that depend on reasonable prices on goods and the ability to heat their homes They also need be able to get to a job or store. For many of us this will be the breaking point to force us from our homes and seek a new state to live in. We the citizens of Maine can't afford anymore added taxation and be able to survive here!

Please do not do this. The people in maine barely can pay for the gas to get to work as it is. Placing a hidden tax on our drivers is one of the worst decisions you could make.

This will just make poor people poorer. It will make life more difficult for everyone, especially for children who live in poor households.

Dear Sir or Ma'am: I am writing to you today to voice my opposition to the Transportation Climate Initiative. My sole income is a small pension. Any kind of direct tax or back door tax to fund this initiative will cause me to incurre an additional financial burden on me. Not every Mainer is a multi-Billionaire or multi-Millionaire that can afford this tax. Additionally, Mainers on Social Security or other fixed income cannot also afford paying this hidden tax. We Mainers are being fleeced by all the taxes up-front, or hidden taxes, and are being taxed to death. How are we suppose to survive when we also have other daily expenses. You people are living in a fantasy world, or are extremely wealthy, and have no clue what it is like just to survive day to day on a small income. Worst yet, no income at all. What are we suppose to do? Think about how most Mainers have to live before you mandate another tax or hidden financial burden upon most of us. Please cancel this Utopian initiative from being in acted. What good is saving the planet from so called Climate Change when the rest of us cannot afford to live. Killing the patient but curing the illness is not the answer. Stop taxing us into oblivion!