TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Concerns I have with the initiative:
1. 100% of the data was provided by biased institutions and government agencies.
2. These 12 states have a population exceeding 60 million. However there were only 3 focus groups with only 1000 attendees.
3. The result of doing nothing will be a 19% improvement. The TCI plan calls for $40 billion in taxes with an overly optimistic improvement of an additional 5%
4. Reducing fuel consumption by 30% will devastate state tax coffers. What will offset this?
5. These proposed taxes will hit the lowest wage earners the hardest. They are also the least likely to purchase an electric car.
6. There is no clear path to a measurable result. Also no accountability in the impending failure.
7. This will surely spawn another govt agency that will cost much and produce nothing.
8. The result of prior initiatives like wind have taken 50 years to achieve the results promised in 5. Wind and solar are extremely inefficient due to the continued need for fossil fuel plants in the event the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine, which is often.
9. Some of the projected benefits are completely ambiguous like the health benefit from walking and riding a bike. In Baltimore both are unsafe practices.
TCI needs to do the following:
1. Produce an unbiased study which considers taxpayer impact, the inefficiency of government to efficiently execute and to identify a specific set of results with total accountability when it doesn’t work.
2. Look at other alternatives that people actually use. Solicit major public input on other options don’t just rely on environmental consultants and government agencies that are completely biased.
3. Identify and communicate a clear objective benefit to the taxpayer other than the government telling them what’s good for them.
4. Don’t exclude those from the conversation that will be most impacted, create a team of business leaders and citizens. Don’t do all the work behind closed doors.

Thanks for your consideration. This proposal needs a lot of work it’s obviously written by academics and regulators. Get private industries who will be impacted to weigh in. Let us work together for comprehensive environmental improvement.
Respectfully submitted

John Phelps
President
Highs of Baltimore LLC

443 463 3654

This is an excellent idea that I wholeheartedly support. I am not a radical but I am tired of energy industry lobbyists and ignorant citizens who criticize such initiatives that, in fact, benefit the majority of the population. We must stand up to interests that seek short term gain at the expense of plans like this that aim to protect our long term health and enhance quality of life for all.

I am inspired by TCI's policy model, because I believe that without such powerful and proactive steps, my grandchildren's lives will be horribly affected by climate change. I think that TCI is an example of government at its best, so thank you from the bottom of my heart. Richard Thomas, Ph.D.

As a Virginia resident and small business owner, I strongly support TCI. We need to fix our crumbling infrastructure, promote use of clean electric vehicles, upgrade our public infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion and clean the air of transportation-related pollution. I have lost employees who moved from (or would not commute through) Northern Virginia due to the terrible traffic. And there are no good EV charging options at or near where I live and work. I firmly believe that we have the will and the transportation solutions in hand. All we need now is the cap-and-invest proceeds to get the job done! I may be forced to move from Virginia if steps are not taken to fix our broken and dirty transportation system.

As a Montgomery Country resident and one who until my recent retirement worked in the Tysons Corner, Virginia area, I think that there are several significant measures to improve not only our air quality, but our quality of life.

First, instead of talking about adding lanes to existing and already over crowded roads and bridges, why not build light rail lines that run parallel to these roads and bridges? Why not a circular light rail line that parallels the Beltway and intersects with the existing Metro lines and the soon to be opened Purple Line? Yes, the initial expenditure would be costly, but the improvements in our air quality and the reduction in commuting time and stress would be well worth the expenditure.

Also, if we are going to create livable, safe, clean communities - we need to improve safety for pedestrians. Instead of roads without sidewalks or with intersections that are downright deadly, we need to create roads and intersections where pedestrians (including children and seniors) can cross safely. There are a number of ways to do this - expanding the use of the Barnes Dance (a type of traffic signal movement that temporarily stops all vehicular traffic, thereby allowing pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including diagonally, at the same time), building either pedestrian over or underpasses across major roads, or do what Barcelona does in the area around the Placa Catalunya (putting the traffic lights midblock, so pedestrians are not competing with cars that are turning.)

Improving our environment and quality of life and alleviating our transportation problems does require investment, but more importantly it requires imagination and a willingness to get rid of the not invented here mindset.

Please take steps to encourage rail line development to ease traffic congestion.
Electric cars, buses, trucks are great for reducing emission and leakage of fluids into water supplies.
Mass transit is better than ride services like taxis and other small vehicles to reduce traffic jams.

Pennsylvania needs the most comprehensive TCI program possible; one that invests in public transportation, biking, walking, and prioritizes equity. It is eminently important that this plan seriously reduces transportation emissions to prevent further climate change and clean up our air. As a household which includes persons who suffer from asthma, the amount of emissions from transportation, especially the trucking industry, directly effects our health and our environment. Polluters need to pay their fair share for the damage they are causing, and we need to act now.

Thank you,
Donna L. Gayer

As a believer that all must be done to curtail human activity induced global warming and climate change it only stands to reason to eliminate or reduce the contributing factors. While many of us did not realize the consequences to the comforts, pleasures and conveniences afforded us through the fossil fuel industries, we now must own up to the harm by reducing and or eliminating greenhouse gases that we added to the atmosphere putting natural forces in chaos. Corporate priorities that have put profit over people has to be embraced along with any scientific approach for decreasing carbon emissions through cap and trade. Transitioning fossil fuel related jobs to sustainable jobs whatever they be has to be part of the plan. People's identity is largely in their jobs and that has to be respected. Steve Hvozdovich Pennsylvania campaign director for Clean Water Action was recognized addressing that component of transition in a recent newspaper article and I commend him for it. Dave Spiglemyer, President of the Marcellus Shale Coalition should be identified as a key player in the effort to address global warming and climate change with the understanding that failure in the industry to do its part results in responsibility for future damages. It is time for governing officials to plan using the best available science and tools to address the need to reduce the carbon emissions and come to communities directly involved to let the people know what the expectations are, who is to do what and how. This act could provide an opportunity for educating the public about the physics involved and how human activity exacerbated global warming and climate change. Along with this is the definite need for substituting gainful employment and or retraining options.

Many decades ago in the Lancaster, PA area, electric trucks were used to deliver milk. What happened? We understand the fossil fuel industry sabotaged efforts in electric vehicle production. Let's revisit that era. While I could go on and on about the need for sustainability, the best input I can offer is this: Before anything recommended is done does it match up to sustainability through stewardship? Given the belief that we are of Christian and God loving communities then it is without disagreement that we are mandated to be stewards of Creation. In the February edition of Rolling Stone magazine, Justin Nobel wrote an in depth article, titled America's Radioactive Secret. It reveals how the Marcelllus Shale Industrial Complex continues to destroy peoples lives due to their "catch me if you can" mentality regarding human and environmental health concerns. A war should be declared on climate change and global warming. Declaring war would awaken citizens to the seriousness of the situation and explain the need to consider rationing of energy until balance is restored by controlling human activity production of greenhouse gases. That you for the oportunity to support efforts toward cleaner healthier air.