TCI Regional Policy Design Stakeholder Submissions

Transportation is the number one source of climate pollution in the United States. Consequently, America needs 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.

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

Thank you.

As someone who has always relied on public transportation, I have observed many different public transit systems in the states and cities in which I have resided. Of the TCI members, I have lived in PA and MD (in the Washington, D.C. metro area), and visited many others. There is a huge difference in the ease of getting around via public transit in bigger cities vs. smaller cities and towns, but all systems can certainly benefit from upgrades. As someone who is also deeply concerned about climate change and the future of our planet, I am also eager to see more states take the initiative to reduce carbon pollution while investing in ways to make getting around better for everyone.

As a citizen of Maine, I just wan to go on the record that I want to see a regional plan that cleans up our pollution from transportation. We need to encourage and demand cleaner cars, more public transportation, more rail service, more electric charging stations and better traffic control that avoids cars spewing pollution due to traffic jams. The Gulf of Maine is a critical marine resource. Yet, we are in danger of it changing forever due to climate change and some of the fastest water temperature rise. We must move forward in dealing with climate change. Transportation is a significant contributor to the problem and must be a giant part of the solution. Please, do all you can to fix this problem and not just let the status quo continue. Thanks

We need to take concerted and strong action to reduce the carbon impact of our transportation system, using a combination of pricing policies that discourage polluters and expansion and modernization of our public transportation system. In addition to being critical to the fight against climate change, TCI will yield significant benefits in the form of reduced air pollution, lower traffic, and healthier communities.

Transportation is the #1 avoidable source of CO2 emissions in the USA. In the Northeast and especially in Connecticut, countless tons of carbon are emitted needlessly due to congestion on the roads, obsolete diesel trains and buses, and an inadequate passenger rail service. The poor transportation system limits economic development in congested areas and makes residents move to other states. It is imperative that the northeastern states commit to a major infrastructure investment program that is coordinated between the states, builds state of the art public transportation, encourages use of renewable fuels, and is fiscally responsible.

Public transit in this country, a key in dealing with climate change, has been neglected far too long. As compared with other industrialized countries, our transit infrastructure is inconvenient, overcrowded, largely obsolete and often dank and dirty. It's a disgrace and leads people to drive far more than they should need to - which in turn results both to excessive carbon emissions and personal stress. A plan like the one here envisioned is a good remedial starting place. When fleshed out, it could potentially transform our living standard much for the better.

Transportation is the number one source of climate pollution in the United States. That 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. I SUPPORT THIS POLICY!!

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
WE NEED TO DO THIS NOW TO PROTECT OUR PLANET FROM FURTHER DESTRUCTION FROM CLIMATE CHANGE!!

We must end fossil fuel use and increase safe renewables. Delaware must allow homeowners to produce more than %10 over their electric usage so we can retire fossil fuel power plants. We must provide incentives for individuals to install electric storage capabilities to provide power after dark or during windless times. Power companies must be incentivized to install systems that uses excess power to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. They can sell the oxygen for medical or commercial uses and store the hydrogen to use as fuel when renewables are unable to provide sufficient power to the grid. No greenhouse gases would be produced and all the fuel to provide the electricity would be free.
Delaware must increase the use of electric public transit vehicles. Most routes are short enough to allow this, and longer routes could have charging stations at each end of the route. Drivers would park and charge the vehicle they drove into the end of route station, and move to another vehicle that has been charging. It may require a few more vehicles, but the cost would be partially offset by the lower maintenance costs of the electric vehicles.
We must also initiate a fee for internal combustion vehicles bases on fuel mileage figures. The lower the miles per gallon the higher the fee. This would cause the more polluting vehicles to pay their fair share of the cost of their emissions.
We must encourage more electric vehicle purchases. Businesses must be incentivized to install charging stations for employee electric vehicles and encouraged to use solar or wind power to provide the electricity. They could receive a one time tax rebate for the installation of the chargers and solar or wind facilities. They could also receive tax rebates if the installed power storage facilities.
Delaware must also require that a certain percentage of vehicles from each manufacturer are all electric powered vehicles. We have been trying to purchase a Hyundai Kona electric from a Delaware dealer for almost 2 years now. Despite Delaware being a state that qualifies for them, local Hyundai dealers do not carry them and when we inquire about them, are told that they are not available within 200 miles of the state. We know this is untrue because we have seen them for sale in dealerships within 50 miles in MD and 20 miles in N.J. We don't want to have to deal with a dealership so far away and in a different state.
Delaware must also enact a carbon tax on industries. The fees could be used to pay for health care for individuals harmed by industrial carbon.

The more decent, clean public transportation, the better. My city, Philadelphia, is woefully lacking - decades behind the times. This needs to be addressed at once.