Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
NORTHEAST & MID-ATLANTIC - The message from residents of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to lawmakers couldn’t be more clear: the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) is a winner, and they want to see it happen.
A strong 91 percent of public comments from 12 states and the District of Columbia support TCI, according to a review by the Our Transportation Future (OTF) coalition of the 8,308 public comments filed in the public portal since mid-December.
Investments from TCI would mean more electric electric cars and trucks and charging infrastructure, reliable mass transit, walkable and bikeable communities, less climate pollution, and investments that connect everyone, including those in underserved and rural areas.
The states’ modeling of different program levels released in December shows that TCI could:
- Save consumers nearly $5 billion in net savings due to reduced fuel costs
- Create up to 25,000 jobs
- Raise $5.6 billion for clean transportation investments
- $10 billion in public health benefits per year, including preventing 1,000 premature deaths, 1,300 asthma attacks and 1,700 traffic injuries across the region
This data demonstrates that the stronger the program becomes, the more jobs, economic benefits, and lives saved throughout the region.
In response, Mark Kresowik, the Eastern Region Deputy Director of the Sierra Club, issued the following statement:
“Residents across rural, suburban and urban communities from Maine to Virginia have demonstrated widespread support for a solution that could give our transportation systems a much needed makeover, cutting pollution, saving lives, and improving commutes. We urge governors across the region to listen to their constituents, not corporate polluters, to move forward on this program and commit to a strong final policy that lines up with their own climate goals.”
Background: The OTF coalition reviewed the comments submitted through an online portal between December 17, 2019 (when the states released a draft memorandum of understanding) and today, February 28, at 9 a.m. (which had previously been announced as the target deadline date for comment submissions).
The 13 jurisdictions are Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.