And they are all very surprised that it will raise costs. But, hey, all these left leaning Dem voting climate crisis (scam) believing voters will have no problem with this, right?
In Massachusetts, the word “transportation†conjures images of choked highways, rickety bridges and derailed subway cars. The frustration, inconvenience and loss of economic productivity we all incur due to transportation shortcomings constitute a painful cost to our quality of life.
Transportation that is powered by fossil fuels exacts still more costs, due to the pollution that it generates. It exacerbates respiratory diseases and it is the largest source of climate-warming greenhouse gases — 43% of Massachusetts’ greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector.
Responding to the increasing distress around transportation, the Baker administration, in collaboration with other eastern states, has made public new details of an innovative regional plan, called the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI). The plan is designed to raise needed revenue and ratchet down fossil-fuel emissions that contribute to serious public health problems and climate change.
It would indirectly add a small amount to the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel at the pump in Massachusetts, and so it acts, in effect, as a tax. Any levy that the state imposes on the public must be not only justified but just. TCI is both.
The Transportation and Climate Initiative is a regional cap-and-invest program. Twelve eastern states and the District of Columbia would agree to set a cap on emissions by requiring wholesalers of transportation fuels to purchase, from the states, pollution allowances in proportion to the total carbon content of the fuel they sell. The pollution allowances would be limited — thus the “cap†— and decline in number every year while increasing in price. The states independently invest the money they collect to improve transportation and limit pollution.
And every penny will be passed on to the consumers, who will suffer with higher costs at the pump to go to work, reducing the value of their paychecks while also increasing their overall cost of living.
The justification for TCI is clear. Transportation planners have long wishlists of projects to address a multitude of troubles. A report earlier this year estimated Greater Boston’s rush-hour congestion to be the nation’s worst. Our commuter rail system needs to be electrified. The MBTA is in continual crisis. The eastern and western halves of the state aren’t connected by passenger rail.
You political masters know what is best for you and will try and force you out of your fossil fueled vehicles, which makes it easier to control your movement. NJ.com wonders if consumers are willing to pay
Is it worth a 5 to 17 cent per gallon increase in gas prices to fight climate change, reduce air pollution and plow the money into better public transit and electric vehicles?
That is a proposal being floated in 12 northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia, as part of the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Supporters said it is designed to help reduce air pollution and the resulting health-related illnesses from dirty air. New York, Pennsylvania and New York are part of the bi-partisan initiative
CO2 is not a pollutants. It doesn’t make the air dirty. Now, consider, you will be paying 5 to 17 cents (to start with) on everything. When you fill your tank. When you buy tomatoes. When you buy ice cream. Every single product at the grocery store. Every single meal. Everything. Because every bit will be passed on. But, hey, all you climate cultists supporting this, stay in your states. Suck it up. Live it. Don’t come to GOP states to escape it.
