TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

We need a regional plan, involving the governors of regional states and the mayor of Washington, D.C., to ensure that any transportation plan is bold enough to cut harmful transportation pollution at the scale needed to avert the climate crisis. We need a plan that holds large transportation polluters accountable for the pollution they create and invests in clean transportation solutions including:

More public transit and electric vehicle infrastructure in rural areas
Expansion of commuter rail, electric vehicles, and streets in the suburbs that are safe, walkable, and bikeable
Sustainable and equitable housing near transit and electric bus fleets in urban communities

Please make these a priority in your plans - thank you.

I am very concerned with our childrens future with warming from the burning of fossil fuels. A price on carbon pollution is what we need. Since a great percentage of carbon pollution comes from the transportation sector, something has to change. Please take the actions recommended in TCI. Thanks, Judy HInch

There has never been more urgency than now to make mass transportation more affordable and accessible. With increased pollution a factor in everyday life from rural to urban areas, we need travel from place to place possible without requiring automobiles. Traffic is a constant in many areas of the northeast and adding to the frustration and increased time required to commute, more vehicles spewing exhaust for increased time means more pollution. We need reasonably reliable mass transit, with more scheduled availability and mores access points. This needs to be addressed now, aggressive measures are necessary to encourage more people to take advantage of mass transit as much as possible. Fossil fuels are the past, our future lies in renewable energy and we must prevail.

The eastern states who have jointly committed to reducing greenhouse gases should be lauded for the work and planning they have already done. They also need as much technical, financial, and educational assistance as possible to undertake the next bold steps in reducing greenhouse gases. I urge anyone involved to carry on with my support. Anyone who has not yet commited to changing their own transportation habits, join the team! And to those not yet on board, shame on you! Take your heads out of the sand and look at the hard facts. Then join forces with all who are working hard to reduce the worst effects of climate change. You'll be glad you did!

We need to expand public transportation to combat climate change and use less cars.

We need the initiative to reduce traffic congestion in the state. Traffic jams occur on freeways in Hampton Roads during rush hours. The highway from DC to Richmond often gets backed up. More efficient public transportation would reduce traffic congestion.

Climate pollution is real, science has proven this. Transportation is the number one source of climate pollution in the United States. This means it's time to totally reimagine the way that we transport people and goods.

The states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and the city of Washington, D.C., are working on a groundbreaking policy to modernize the transportation sector under the Transportation and Climate Initiative. The draft Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) proposal is a bold and urgently needed step to upgrade the region’s transportation system to be more efficient, more affordable, and less polluting.

A year ago, these jurisdictions set out to develop a plan to fix the region’s transportation problems, which include mind-numbing traffic, outdated infrastructure, delayed and insufficient buses and trains, and dirty vehicles that belch clouds of exhaust while collectively emitting more climate-harming pollution than any other sector—even power plants.

Through an innovative framework that cuts pollution and invests in 21st century transportation solutions, the TCI proposal would ensure today’s broken system isn’t also the region’s future.

In order for this regional plan to work, governors of these states and the mayor of Washington, D.C., must ensure that this transportation plan is bold enough to cut harmful transportation pollution at the scale needed to avert the climate crisis. We need a plan that holds large transportation polluters accountable for the pollution they create and invests in clean transportation solutions including:
• More public transit and electric vehicle infrastructure in rural areas
• Expansion of commuter rail, electric vehicles, and streets in the suburbs that are safe, walkable, and bikeable
• Sustainable and equitable housing near transit and electric bus fleets in urban communities

I believe there are still greater opportunities to reduce transportation pollution and invest in clean solutions than the states’ draft analysis currently assumes. Let's do everything we can to ensure we reduce transportation pollution, science is on our side.

Transportation using fossil fuels is poisoning our atmosphere with CO2 and methane. There is already too much of those gasses in our atmosphere, and it's leading to very damaging Climate Change. We must combat this by developing cleaner ways to achieve facile transportation for all. Gas powered automobiles are a leading cause of this atmospheric pollution, and they must be phased out rapidly. We need to replace them soon. Using airplanes within the USA for transportation is also becoming unsustainable. We need fast electric powered trains to minimize their use. Look to Europe for answers to these questions.

The transportation infrastructure is in desperate need of being upgraded. It needs to take in to consideration the ability to support the urban and suburban users, especially the poor, and alternatives to the automobile.