REV joined a diverse group of more than 100 businesses and community organizations across Vermont calling on Vermont’s Governor to support the Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI)— a regional policy initiative led by eleven northeast and mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia that would put a cap on emissions from our transportation-sector, require fossil fuel companies to pay for the carbon pollution produced from the fuel they sell via purchasing annual allowances, and reinvest the proceeds to help participating states adopt cleaner, healthier, and more equitable transportation solutions.
In a letter sent to Governor Phil Scott and key officials from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Vermont Department of Transportation, and Vermont Department of Public Service, signatories shared their collective support for TCI as means to not only tackle climate change but expand and improve public transit and alternative transportation; Invest in infrastructure to reduce
vehicle miles traveled and increase resiliency; and channel investments to underserved and overburdened communities to help address longstanding inequities in our transportation system.
This letter comes as the 12 jurisdictions collaborating on TCI work to craft a final Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) detailing the program’s goals and structure. The final MOU is expected later this week. “The groundswell of businesses and community leaders that signed this letter make clear that it’s time for our state to usher in an equitable, affordable, and green transportation future,” said VBSR Public Policy Manager, Jordan Giaconia. “TCI could be the tool Vermont needs to decarbonize our transportation sector and use the revenues generated to invest in clean transportation solutions, put Vermonters back to work in family-sustaining jobs, and prioritize the needs of vulnerable communities who bear a disproportionate amount of pollution and transportation costs.”
The full letter to the Scott Administration can be viewed here.