TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

THERE IS NO CLIMATE CRISIS!!! There is ample evidence that CO2 cannot cause warming and does not cause warming. The global temperatures have not risen by more than 1 degree C in the last 100 years. The numbers have been manipulated to fit the IPCC agenda. Michael Mann was defeated in Canadian court because he wouldn't provide the data to prove his "hockey stick graph" was not a fraud. 500 scientist from all over the world have sent a letter to the UN asking for a debate with their scientists regards their data. This is absolutely not settled science.

As a student currently working on transportation concerns in Middlebury, I was very curious to read the Memorandum of Understanding put forward by the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI). The TCI proposes the establishment of a regional program composed of 12 states and Washington, D.C., all committing to transition to a low-carbon, sustainable transportation sector through the implementation of a regional cap-and-invest program.
I agree with the TCI’s emphasis on cleaning up the transportation sector. If we’re going to act on climate change, we need to act fast. The 2018 IPCC report gave us twelve years (now ten) to cut global greenhouse gas emissions 45% below 2010 levels to have any hope of limiting warming beyond 1.5C. The recent ratification of the Global Warming Solutions Act (H.688) by the Vermont House is a promising start to what will hopefully be decisive, thoughtful, and socially-just continued action by the Vermont government to curb emissions.
The TCI is another step forward for Vermont, one unique in that it specifically tackles transportation, which makes up nearly half of the state’s current climate pollution. Curbing transportation emissions is a must if Vermont seeks to meet our commitment to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord by 2025. So yes, let’s join the TCI…BUT…
It MUST fully center the needs and rights of low income and working-class Vermonters in a just transition to a renewable energy-powered transportation future.
This is the question I always want to ask when considering climate legislation: who is going to be squeezed? Implementing a cap-and-invest system with a declining cap certainly puts the pressure on fuel suppliers, but that pressure is in part passed off to Vermonters filling up their tanks at the gas station. For some, the TCI will help lower the cost of transitioning to an electric vehicle (EV) and make it more feasible with rural electrification. But what about those Vermonters who simply do not have the budget for a new vehicle, whether or not it’s electric and whether or not the cost is lowered?
More accessible to some does not mean accessible to all.
This is the very issue the Vermont legislature hesitated on last session with a carbon tax proposal. House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said she can’t see a “straight-up carbon tax” being viable without already having a better public transportation system in rural areas. Isn’t that the same problem we see in the TCI, that putting a cap on carbon allowances might ultimately hurt rural and working-class Vermonters the most? The difference being that the TCI hides behind hopes of EV incentives and electric charging stations that simply do not make sense for many Vermonters.
To its credit, the TCI does include a clause on equity:

“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Signatory Jurisdictions will work with communities to ensure that the benefits of a cap-and-invest program flow equitably to communities that are underserved by clean transportation alternatives, disproportionately bear the costs of the current transportation system, or suffer disproportionate impacts of vehicular pollution and climate change”

I’m glad that there is recognition of the disproportionate costs of transportation to vulnerable groups, but I would hope to see social and community justice front and center of Vermont’s implementation of the TCI, rather than relegated to a side note.
I’ve experienced firsthand the frustrations of working-class people facing rising fuel prices when I lived in Bordeaux, France during the beginning of the yellow vest protest movement in November 2018. The high price of gas and a high of living in general hit the French middle and working-classes the hardest, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. People across the country demonstrated for weeks calling for lower fuel taxes, a solidarity tax on wealth, and a minimum wage increase, among other demands. I can’t help but draw some, albeit limited, parallels to Vermont. The unrest in France is a stark example of what happens when governments enact climate legislation without fully considering and addressing the needs of those who are currently the most dependent on the system the way it is now. Vermonters are perhaps not numerous enough to pressure their government the way that French protesters did, which gives legislators here all the more responsibility to be proactive about the way they implement any new transportation legislation.
Vermont could benefit greatly from increased electrification, expanded and improved public transportation, and smart development. That’s why I’m saying yes to Vermont participating in the TCI…BUT doing so by centering the needs of low income and working-class Vermonters. I don’t pretend to know the perfect solution, but I do encourage those making the decisions to find ways to minimize the burdens placed on individuals and households and maximize their ability to lead a dignified life.

I would love to see: More choice of less expensive electric cars; advertising to shame rich people into stop driving huge, gas wasting cars; recharging stations at every rest stop on all major highways.(A family could stop and have a snack while charging their car. Knowing charging stations stations would be available would make people more comfortable moving to all electric cars.)
I drove to the rich western suburbs of Boston on Feb. 20, 2020. I watched carefully as I drove. I saw 1 hybrid car and 1 Tesla. The rest of the cars were very expensive cars, some V6’s and some V8’s !! I see this as shameful !! How are these people so ignorant !!
Otherwise, we need to make all forms of public transportation buses, trains, and subways all electric ASAP. Thank you for all you do.
Sincerely, Rebecca Bennett

The benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions cannot ultimately be fiscally quantified, as these include protecting biodiversity and human well-being. Nonetheless, the TCI’s first-decade regional benefits include (1) increases in GDP, disposable personal income (DPI), and employment, (2) better public health from cleaner air valued at $3 – $10 billion, and (3) a 20 – 25% reduction in greenhouse gas pollution from cars and trucks; while the VT-specific benefits include (1) $18 - $80 million in annual revenues to invest in low-carbon transportation options, (2) more money from the program each year than Vermonters contribute, and (3) the opportunity to make the state more affordable for low-income and rural Vermonters by lessening dependence on imported, polluting and expensive fossil fuels.

I support the TCI both to attempt to brake humanities collision course with climate upheaval and to reduce congestion with sensible transportation options.

Please see a letter attached from members of the Transit Caucus in the Maryland General Assembly.

As the owner of a Vermont-based business with clients around the country, I strongly support the TCI. It's a big step toward reducing our carbon emissions and also makes economic sense because:

1. We import 100% of our gas, propane, and heating oil from outside of Vermont. Many of those states will join TCI and then pass the costs to consumers further down the line, including in Vermont. If we don't join, then we're stuck with the costs without receiving any of the benefits.

2. About a quarter of fossil fuels sold in Vermont are purchased by tourists and other travelers. TCI proceeds will be distributed based on fuel sales within each state, so we will receive back more in revenues than Vermonters contribute.

Note to Governor Scott: This is an opportunity to earn more than we spend and use that money to support the Vermonters who need it the most. You have often encouraged a regional approach to climate change -- well, this is it. It's a rational, thoughtful, equitable, and economically valid solution. I urge your support.