TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

While Maine residents who live in remote rural communities will often need a single occupancy vehicle to get where they need to go--work, errands, etc--small Maine cities have all kinds of opportunities to promote and develop infrastructure for low and no carbon solutions--biking, walking and transit. Funds need to be allocated for those modes. A relatively small amount of money can build a comprehensive biking network in a town but Maine has been unwilling in the past to fund these kinds of things, always prioritizing cars.

Earth is being exploited by those who are fracking, drilling for oil, and removing other natural resources. It is imperative that the carbon emissions be capped as soon as possible and other means of transportation developed as well as other sources of natural energy. I fully support the initiatives and goals of TCI.

Here are my concerns about TCI:
1. Please consider investing TCI funds in clean energy, energy efficiency, and more robust public transportation. This would expand career opportunities, and better public transportation would make jobs more accessible. Lastly, clean transportation will improve the health of our region and lower our related healthcare costs by reducing air pollution from fossil fuel vehicles.

2. Please ensure that low and moderate income residents do not bear the financial burden, by distributing TCI funds to cover added energy expenses in a manner that corresponds with the timing of higher costs. Also provide TCI funding to rural residents to cover the added gasoline costs incurred from longer driving distances and from extremely limited public transportation options (e.g. Franklin County, MA, has no evening and weekend buses).

3. Please allocate TCI funds to public transportation, municipal energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, EV charging stations in rural areas and urban areas with rental properties, rebates for electric vehicles, including used EVs, and higher EV rebates for low-income residents, to make EVs more accessible to residents of all income levels.

4.Please consider Targeting TCI funding for the development of community solar for moderate and low income residents.

Thank you for your consideration and serious work on this critical issue of climate change in our region.

I want Maryland to make a make a firm
commitment to adopt a regional transportation
policy that achieves a minimum 40 percent
reduction in transportation sector climate
pollution by 2030, to keep us on track to meet
the climate goals updated by the General
Assembly in 2016.
Investment and policy decisions should be
made based on pollution reduction and
equity goals, as well as robust engagement
opportunities from the public‒particularly
those most overburdened by transportation
pollution and undeserved by our current
transportation system.

"As a resident of Pennsylvania I urge the northeast states to adopt a strong TCI program that cuts transportation emissions in order to meet our state's climate goals. The program should invest in public transportation, safe biking and walking infrastructure, and prioritize communities who have suffered disproportionate impacts from transportation pollution."

Trying to reduce miles driven by adding a gas tax is unconscionable. There is no avoiding driving great distances in rural areas to the doctor, groceries for just normal everyday needs. Residents will be hit twice...who do you think will pay for increased charges from contractors, truckers, etc. who will be forced to increase their prices and pass on to consumers. Electric cars are not practical in Maine. These "initiatives" are going to cripple an already poor state. And that does not even account the new waste streams car batteries and solar panels create.
The state is not all about what portland thinks.

Please find the attached letter from 21 participating organizations of the MA TCI Table. The letter includes recommendations from health, business, environmental, transportation, justice, academic, and planning organizations to ensure that the TCI program is both environmentally ambitious and equitable.

Thank you for your work to advance a clean, modern transportation system that works for all.

I am a citizen of Maine who supports the transition to green energy and I want Maine to belong to the Transportation and Climate Initiative. The most important issue facing all of us is climate change and transportation is a major contributor to it. In the Portland, Maine region, the Portland West Rail & Trail Alliance is trying to get a commuter rail & walking trail built along a 5 mile existing rail line from Westbrook to Portland. This would be a great project to support. I also support installing more public charging stations for electric cars and transitioning public bus fleets to electric busses.