Massachusetts Climate Policy Roundup

In early January, the Massachusetts legislature overwhelmingly passed a landmark update to the state’s 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act through Bill S.2995, “An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy.” Many of the provisions have been championed by Acadia Center and we are encouraged by its breadth and specificity.  Bill S.2995 represents meaningful progress in addressing the Commonwealth’s contributions to climate change, codifying the Governor’s commitment to a net-zero future, delivering effective environmental justice strategies, and moving critical sector-specific initiatives forward. It will help increase overall demand for clean energy and support the growing clean energy economy.

Governor Baker employed the pocket veto on January 14^th.  The timing of the bill passage and the veto as one legislative session concluded and another began made it impossible for the legislature to override the Governor’s veto.  Demonstrating resolve and commitment to the overwhelming support for the landmark bill, House and Senate leadership refiled an identical bill, S.9, which is expected to come to a vote in the next week or so, and again pass quickly with veto-proof margins.

Significant provisions of the legislation include:

• “Comprehensive, clear and specific” plans for achieving statewide emissions limits now set every five years (rather than ten) leading to: 50% reductions from 1990 levels in 2030, 75% in 2040, and net-zero emissions by 2050.
• New tools and protections for environmental justice populations, and plans to improve or mitigate economic, environmental, and public health impacts for these populations.
• Mandates for emissions sub-limits for six priority sectors of the economy: transportation; electric power; residential heating and cooling; natural gas distribution and services; and natural and working lands, an idea catalyzed by Acadia Center.
• A requirement also endorsed by Acadia Center: The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) must consider equity and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as equal priorities to reliability, safety, and affordability. This is essential to empowering the DPU to act in alignment with the state’s climate goals.
• Boosting the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard by 3% each year, ensuring that at least 40% of the state’s electric power will be renewable by 2030.
• An increase to the standard for greenhouse gas emissions for municipal lighting plants for the first time, requiring 50% non-emitting electricity by 2030 and “net zero” emissions by 2050.
• An expansion of previous targets that increases the state’s total offshore wind authorization to 5.6 gigawatts (GW).
• A local option mandates – “net zero stretch energy code” – which would allow towns to ban the use of fossil fuels in new buildings.
• The adoption of appliance efficiency standards in line with California; this may enable Massachusetts to take back the top spot in the rankings of American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
• A requirement that energy efficiency plans achieve a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal and include the value of GHG reductions in cost-effectiveness calculations – two reforms at the heart of Acadia Center’s Next Generation Energy Efficiency strategy.

As one of the co-chairs of the ACES coalition, Acadia Center worked to pull together over 20 clean energy businesses and advocacy organizations to sign on to a letter urging Governor Baker to sign the bill and empower Massachusetts to address the climate crisis.

The climate roadmap envisioned in the newly filed S.9 will put into law the commitments made by the Baker Administration’s Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2030 and beyond, setting our Massachusetts on a path to reach net-zero emissions and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.  As well, Bill S.9 includes vitally important provisions ensuring that front line communities and low-wage workers will benefit from the Commonwealth’s transition to a low-carbon economy. Acadia Center strongly support S.9 and greatly appreciates the resolve of House Speaker Mariano, Senate President, Representative Golden and Senator Mike Barrett for quickly reintroducing the legislation.  Acadia Center looks forward to swift passage of this important climate legislation, and urges Governor Baker to enact without changes it so that all the state’s residents can benefit from a healthier, safer future.

 

 

 

 

Acadia Center Launches Redesigned Website

BOSTON – On January 19^th, Acadia Center launched its redesigned website at acadiacenter.org

This new site amplifies Acadia Center’s work by using more visual storytelling, and elevates its human impact. Climate change and energy work can be abstract and technical, and the new site aims to make the work tangible and relevant to a much broader audience. This new approach is reflected in refreshed aesthetics, images and improved navigation, so users can easily find news and reports connected to any issue. A section called Latest highlights relevant news and blogs. The site creates an engaging experience by gently guiding users through the work in bite-size pieces, while using increased page-to-page relationships to encourage deep dives.

The new website groups Acadia Center’s work into four Areas of Focus, which encompass the many programs that the organization works on, from energy efficiency to phasing out natural gas.  It also includes dedicated pages for each Northeast state that Acadia Center works in, easily accessible in the Our Work section.

In keeping with an increased focus on public outreach, Acadia Center will begin rolling out educational materials aimed at a wide set of audiences, with the goal of reaching beyond an “in the know” audience of policy professionals and giving interested newcomers a grounding in key energy terms and concepts that they can use in advocacy. At the same time, the new website makes Acadia Center’s high-quality reports and technical analyses more easily searchable and accessible for reference, especially with a new Related Resources feature.

Lastly, more information is available in the Get Involved section of the website, where interested visitors can learn more and sign up for updates.

For any questions or comments, please contact Emma Rapperport at erapperport@acadiacenter.org.

Fact check: net-zero stretch code is the right move for Massachusetts

Yesterday, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker vetoed S. 2995, “An act creating a next-generation roadmap for Massachusetts climate policy.” As the Boston Globe reported earlier this week, and as the Governor’s letter to the legislature confirms, opposition from the real estate industry played a significant role in the decision.

The section of the bill that has drawn the ire of real estate groups has to do with the energy efficiency parts of the building code. Currently, Massachusetts has both a standard (or “base”) building energy code and a “stretch” code. The stretch code allows cities and towns to opt in to requirements for higher levels of energy efficiency in new buildings.

The bill would require the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to strengthen the stretch code and to include a definition of “net-zero building.” Net-zero buildings either emit no greenhouse gases or generate enough renewable energy to offset the emissions they do cause. Although they sound like the far-off future, developers are building zero-energy buildings in Massachusetts right now at no extra cost.

Even so, real estate developers reportedly complained to the Governor that this part of the bill would be a burden. Their complaint is hard to understand. The bill’s approach is about as cautious and reasonable as one could expect, and here’s why:

The stretch code is optional. Cities and towns must opt-in to the current stretch code. To date, more than 80% of the Commonwealth’s municipalities have done so, ranging from urban Springfield to rural Colrain and suburban Rockland. An updated version of the code would be no different. Far from a hardship, the stretch code is a valuable tool which cities and towns use to reduce energy bills for their residents and businesses.

Flexibility is built into the stretch code. Today, Massachusetts’ stretch code is performance-based. This means that rather than dictating that different building components be built in a specific way, the stretch code requires a certain level of whole-building efficiency, which builders may achieve in whatever way they wish. Updating to a net-zero stretch code would entail higher levels of energy efficiency, but it would not alter this flexibility.

The Governor’s agencies would be in charge of developing the code. Notably, the bill does not define “net-zero building.” It assigns that task to the Governor’s own administration. Fortunately, the administration had already begun this work long before the final bill emerged: a recently-released draft of the state’s Clean Energy and Climate Plan (page 30) specifically proposes that the stretch code be updated in just the way that the bill proposes.

The bill provides for a gradual implementation timeline. The bill urges DOER to develop “a tiered implementation plan,” under which the revised code could be phased in over time and modulated to reflect different energy use characteristics between building types. The Governor’s administration would be empowered to make these decisions. And even under an aggressive timeline, years are likely to pass before a significant number of construction projects in the Commonwealth are built under the new code. The real estate industry’s depiction of the updated stretch code as sudden and onerous does not square with the facts.

Responsibility for the code would remain with the state. Campaigns to ban new gas hookups have gathered steam recently in several Massachusetts cities and towns. Real estate interests have opposed these common-sense climate measures as well, on the grounds that, since these ordinances would vary by town, they would add a layer of complexity to developers’ work. While Acadia Center agrees that the Commonwealth must rapidly wind down its use of gas if it expects to reach its climate targets, adopting a statewide net-zero stretch code would not create the labyrinthine landscape of different building codes that developers fear. It would simply update a building code pathway that has already existed in Massachusetts for years to include requirements that many builders in the state are already sticking to on their own.

In conclusion, the updated stretch energy code that S.2995 proposes is optional, flexible, efficient, and ultimately defined by the Governor’s own agencies. To find a more accommodating approach would be difficult indeed. Acadia Center thanks Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka for their intention to quickly pass the bill again and urges Governor Baker to sign it this time.

 

Maine Won’t Wait, A Four-Year Plan for Climate Action

On December 1, 2020, the Maine Climate Council released its report, “Maine Won’t Wait, A Four-Year Plan for Climate Action,” to Governor Janet Mills. The focus now turns to the governor and legislature to transition the Plan’s priorities and strategies into legislative and regulatory initiatives.

Not everyone thought it would be possible to build a consensus-driven, aggressive roadmap to addressing the relentless effects of climate change. In fact, in early 2020, the December 1 deadline for finalizing Maine’s Climate Action Plan seemed very far away. The enormity of Covid-19 was taking hold and many were struggling to care for their families, adjust to working remotely and Zoom calls, and balancing the immense stress and anxiety of this extraordinary time.  However, Governor Mills and her staff  assured the approximately 230 Council and Working Group Members, including Acadia Center, of how important our work was and that despite the coronavirus taking its toll on the health, welfare, and wallets of Mainers, the climate challenge wasn’t going away and a climate plan must be a top priority. Now we are ready to implement the Maine Climate Action Plan in a way that maximizes investment in renewable energy, efficient buildings, clean transportation, healthier communities, and our most vulnerable citizens, while driving a clean energy economic recovery.

The Climate Action Plan confronts the extreme impacts of climate change on Maine’s coastal communities, public health, fishing and marine industries, forests, and low-income and other vulnerable populations. Not all strategies are created equal, and the state of Maine will want to focus on those that deliver the biggest bang for their buck. This Plan represents the most significant and comprehensive effort to map out the actions that are needed to reduce climate pollution and create new jobs as part of the transition to a clean energy economy. It sets out strategies based on scientific assessments of the reduction levels needed to help protect our economy, people, and environment from severe impacts of climate change. The final Climate Action Plan includes substantial increases in electric vehicles and residential heat pumps, additional support for renewable energy projects, and assistance to improve community resilience. There are also strong recommendations to protect natural and working lands and forests across the state, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The Plan will not be successful without a robust political and financial commitment to implement its strategies. The federal government will also need to step up to support states like Maine in investing in clean energy, a modern transportation system, and resilient infrastructure. While the Plan has gaps, especially in its limited support of a regional Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI) we believe this blueprint will lead to significantly lower greenhouse gas levels, and importantly, a diversity of opportunities for a diversity of Mainers. With a new federal administration coming into office in 2021 with a commitment to climate, state, regional and local work to advance a clean energy and transportation future, we are optimistic about the opportunities and vision Maine’s Climate Action Plan lays out.

There is no single silver bullet to address climate change. We need to attack it from multiple angles, try many approaches. Maine’s Climate Action Plan tackles this intractable challenge holistically and determinedly. With it, we will make the changes needed for a healthier planet and better lives for all Mainers.

Critical Elements of the Plan:

• Significantly expanding beneficial electrification for heating and transportation.
• Deploying high-speed broadband to 95% of Maine homes by 2025 and 99% by 2030.
• Increasing public transportation funding to the national median of $5 per capita by 2024.
• Increasing weatherization, especially for low-income and rural households.
• Phasing in modern, energy efficient building codes to reach net zero carbon emissions for new construction by 2035 and incorporate mass timber and wood-fiber insulation into new building structures.
• Leveraging additional procurements of clean energy supply with specific development targets for offshore wind, smaller distributed energy resources, and energy storage.
• Minimizing environmental and community impacts of renewable energy siting by focusing on early engagement with key stakeholders and the public.
• Initiating a power transformation stakeholder process to pursue utility innovation and grid modernization.
• Marrying Maine’s natural resources and cleantech workforce and innovation to create and maintain good-paying, sustainable jobs.
• Increasing investments in Maine forest conservation and carbon sequestration.

With the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, and a transition to a more climate-friendly President, it is particularly critical now that the final Climate Action Plan spurs robust, sustainable, and equitable solutions for the economic, energy, and environmental benefit of all Mainers. Acadia Center will be working with partners and policymakers to pursue legislative, regulatory, and programmatic initiatives that mitigate emissions from buildings, electricity, and vehicles while ensuring that Maine’s most vulnerable and rural communities are not left behind in such challenging times.

 

 

Transportation and Climate Initiative: Brief Update on the State MOU Announcement

On December 21, 2020, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia announced their participation in the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P) by signing onto a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  Acadia Center believes this represents a major milestone in a project that we have long championed and a critical component of our vision for a just and sustainable future. We offer some comments on the announcement.

The four jurisdictions participating in the program need to achieve significant emission reductions from the transportation sector to meet their ambitious climate targets. Transportation pollution accounts for 46% of the CO₂ emissions across Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., which is more than double the contribution to climate change from any other sector. Participation in the TCI program will enable these jurisdictions to invest hundreds of millions of dollars each year in clean transportation projects that create jobs, boost the economy, improve mobility, and slash pollution. For those reasons, the TCI program is the first transportation strategy discussed in the Baker administration’s newly released 2030 Clean Energy and Climate Plan, which is designed to achieve a 45% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. Whether Massachusetts sticks with the Baker administration’s 45% reduction target or the legislature’s newly passed climate bill with a 50% by 2030 requirement, the TCI program will play a critical role in delivering a cleaner, more equitable transportation system.

Acadia Center has played a central role in the TCI Process

• In the spring of 2017, Acadia Center convened the first meeting of TCI advocates from the region, launched a regional advocates listserv and began hosting bi-weekly TCI advocates calls. Acadia Center played a leading role in creating Our Transportation Future, the public face of the regional TCI advocates network.
• In January 2018, Acadia Center partnered with the Fletcher School at Tufts University to host the Future of Transportation Symposium, convening regional stakeholders, academics, and Baker administration officials for an exploration of TCI and other clean transportation opportunities.
• In early 2019, Acadia Center, the Green Justice Coalition, and T4MA launched the MA TCI Table, a new forum designed with intentionality to balance the perspectives of the Commonwealth’s environmental, transportation, and justice communities. By welcoming all voices to the Table, particularly those with concerns about the TCI program, we started and sustained a dialogue around TCI and our shared vision for a sustainable and equitable transportation future. The Table also created a new venue for direct engagement between stakeholders, the Baker Administration, and legislative leaders, allowing them to hear our support, our concerns, and offering a pathway for collaboration on policy solutions.
• Due to the success of the MA TCI Table, Acadia Center replicated the model alongside partners in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Across southern New England, these forums have united stakeholders, engaged state decisionmakers, and delivered the support necessary for governors to sign the TCI MOU.
• Throughout the process, Acadia Center has been committed not just to delivering the policy, but to getting the details right. From analysis of the emissions cap to protections for overburdened communities, Acadia Center has worked with our partners across the region to provide the TCI states with actionable recommendations for a robust and equitable program. In November of 2020, as the states worked to put the finishing touches on the MOU, Acadia Center organized, helped draft, and submitted a sign-on letter with 200 signatory organizations containing specific recommendations for a TCI Program that would meet the needs of the region’s communities and the urgency of the climate crisis. Many of the recommendations in that letter were incorporated into the MOU, including the more stringent emissions cap, the commitment to air quality monitoring in environmental justice communities, and the requirement for TCI-funded investment in overburdened and underserved communities to be at least proportional to the populations of those communities.

Additional Content on the MOU

The collaboration between Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. represents action at a significant scale. With a combined GDP of $1.09 trillion, the participating jurisdictions would be the world’s 15th largest economy, similar in output to Mexico. The MOU charts an ambitious emission reduction trajectory. The emissions cap will decline by 30% from 2023 to 2032, consistent with recommendations Acadia Center submitted on behalf of 200 organizations in November. Reducing CO₂ emissions from transportation fuels by 30% will help states achieve their climate targets while delivering critical improvements in air quality. While additional policies are necessary to achieve Acadia Center’s vision for a just and sustainable future, TCI has an important role to play in that transition.

TCI jurisdictions have worked to incorporate stakeholder feedback to make the program more equitable and ambitious. Important new provisions have been added to last year’s draft MOU to ensure that overburdened and underserved communities receive at least their proportional share of TCI proceeds, that those communities are included in investment decisions and program design, and that air quality monitors will be deployed in the most polluted communities. These commitments represent significant progress at the regional level, but states—and advocates—have much more work to do to develop stakeholder processes and policy solutions that meet the needs of their communities. An equitably-designed TCI program will benefit overburdened and underserved communities, but the participation of those communities in that process is critical. TCI is just one piece of the puzzle: other action, like guaranteed pollution reduction in environmental justice communities and affordable, reliable transit, will still be necessary to deliver transportation justice.

Recent polling shows that 71% of the region’s voters support their state participating in the TCI program, and almost 80% support using TCI revenue to modernize and expand public transit service.

We are particularly gratified that the three states joining the MOU are those where Acadia Center played a leadership role working with many diverse voices to advance support for TCI in coalitions like the Massachusetts TCI Table, who worked together to build respectful working relationships.  These strong coalitions successfully championed a common set of priorities and messages when engaging with decision makers and key stakeholders and preparing public facing materials showing the benefits of TCI.

The four MOU signatories deserve credit for leading the way, and all signs point towards the program growing before the official launch in 2023. While the four-jurisdiction program would be significant in its own right, we expect that, much like RGGI, the program will launch with more states than were on the initial MOU. In a separate document, the four MOU signatories were joined by eight other TCI member states to assert that they are collaborating on the next steps of the cap-and-invest program’s development, suggesting that the program will expand beyond southern New England and D.C. Notably, this list includes a new TCI member, North Carolina, demonstrating the appeal of the TCI framework. All together, these jurisdictions would represent the world’s third largest economy.

Forward-Looking Acadia Center TCI Priorities

As Acadia Center highlighted in a recent NYT article, this four-jurisdiction TCI Program is just the beginning.  Acadia Center is dedicated to continued efforts to support equitable TCI implementation, garner further state commitments, and build the case for TCI with stakeholders and policymakers.

In our core target states of CT, MA and RI, Acadia Center will:

• Work with community-based partners and state agencies to ensure the program is implemented equitably
• Identify high-impact investment opportunities that improve local air quality, deliver better transportation options, and help states achieve their climate targets
• Where necessary, support enabling legislation to grant states authority to participate in TCI Program

Regionally and in other TCI states, Acadia Center will:

• Strategically build the case for TCI participation with governors’ offices, state agencies, legislators and key stakeholders and address points made by TCI opponents. As an example, Acadia Center’s recently published op-ed in the Portland Press Herald demonstrates that it is not too late for Governor Mills to bring the TCI program’s benefits to Mainers.
• Quantify and highlight the in-state benefits of TCI participation, and identify the lost benefits and missed opportunity for states that opt out.
• Continue to lead and coordinate activities of the regional TCI advocates network.

 

Opinion: Newport opts for the best value

The Dec. 18 article “Newport opts for electric heat over gas” mischaracterizes the non-infrastructure solution and misleads the reader. The writer points to a table that looks only at National Grid’s estimate of total costs but says nothing of the economic benefits customers receive in each scenario. No rational consumer ignores the benefits when evaluating investment choices and the Newport and Portsmouth Councils made the correct decision when endorsing the non-infrastructure approach. To see the value proposition of each solution, one must simply read forward in National Grid’s own study to Figure 16 on Page 97. Examining this table, which includes proven and measurable near- and long-term benefits to consumers, one readily sees the non-infrastructure solution as the best value to replace the Old Mill Lane Liquefied Natural Gas facility in Portsmouth.

The reason is simple: much of National Grid’s projected costs of the non-infrastructure solution are in the form of incentives—ratepayer funds that go back into the hands of customers for home improvements that provide economic benefits through measures like weatherization and replacement of fossil fuel appliances. These measures increase home values and lower consumers’ overall energy needs. Weatherization methods, like insulation and draft sealing, help reduce the amount of heated or cooled air your home loses each season. Meanwhile, modern electric replacements of fossil fuel appliances deliver superior performance and safety at higher efficiency. For instance, electric heat pumps are at least 300% more energy efficient than even the best gas furnaces. Electric heat pumps also work in reverse to provide energy efficient air conditioning in the summer months—one system for all seasons.

Utilities earn more ratepayer money when they build new infrastructure, like gas mains to serve new customers. So it is no wonder National Grid doesn’t support a moratorium on new gas connections. Since your home already has the electricity to run electric heat pumps and other electric appliances, National Grid wouldn’t benefit as much financially from pursuing the non-infrastructure solution. Conversely, the utility proposals to build new gas infrastructure generally provide more financial benefit to the utility than to customers—they will enable National Grid to expand its customer base, sell more gas, and collect more revenue for shareholders.

Ultimately, National Grid will be spending your ratepayer dollars on a solution. Shouldn’t it be the one that reduces your energy needs, improves air quality through electrification, and increases safety by reducing our communities’ exposure to explosive and toxic gas?

Read the 0p-ed by Hank Webster, our Rhode Island Director in the Newport Daily News here.

Massachusetts drivers are starting to buy electric cars again

Clean transportation activists are praising Massachusetts’ efforts to expand its electric vehicle incentives while also arguing for changes that would put vehicles within reach for more households.

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Electric vehicle sales are slowly rebounding in the state: In September, the number of new purchases submitted for an incentive payment more than doubled from the previous month, from 156 to 339. In October, the number edged up to 345.

These totals fall well short of the peaks reached in 2018, but those who follow the industry are cautiously optimistic, noting that vehicle sales across the board are starting to edge back up from COVID-driven slumps. And the electric vehicle market, they said, is recovering at a slightly faster rate than traditional internal combustion vehicles.

“There is some degree of recovery going on from COVID,” said Jordan Stutt, carbon programs director at the Acadia Center. “Obviously we have a long way to go there, but some people are buying cars again and a lot of those are [electric].”

Read the full article from the Energy News Network here

Commentary: Regional emission-reduction drive must be part of Maine’s transportation solution

One year ago, the Portland Press Herald ran my op-ed (Maine should take part in regional effort to cut transportation pollution, Dec. 29, 2019) calling for Maine to reduce its carbon emissions and transportation costs in “an economical, efficient, and equitable manner.” At that time, a consortium of Northeast and mid-Atlantic states had just announced the Transportation and Climate Initiative regional cap-and-invest plan designed to significantly reduce pollution from cars and trucks and provide critical funding for clean transportation solutions. The Maine Climate Council and its working groups were also rolling on an action plan to tackle the 54 percent of Maine’s greenhouse-gas emissions that emanate from its transportation sector. It was a New Year for environmental hope and progress!

Fast forward to today: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia stepped up and signed an agreement to participate in the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Under the agreement, participating states will focus on their specific priorities, including helping rural and low-income communities in need of more electric cars and trucks, public transit, walkable and bikable neighborhoods, less pollution and a modernized broadband network. In an accompanying statement, eight other states – Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and even North Carolina committed to continue work on the regional program while pursuing state specific initiatives to reduce emissions and provide clean transportation solutions.

Who’s missing? Maine.

The Maine Climate Council’s report, Maine Won’t Wait: A Four-Year Climate Action Plan, launched earlier this month, highlighted the urgency and scale of our transportation challenges, but failed to deliver adequate solutions. If Maine does not join the Transportation and Climate Initiative, where will the state secure funding for the strategies and actions laid out in the Climate Action Plan? If Maine does not join the conversation, how will we influence development of the model rule and ensure that the Transportation and Climate Initiative works for Maine, especially our rural communities?

Don’t get me wrong, Gov. Mills is and remains a climate leader and led Maine out of eight years of climate denial and rollbacks to steer Maine’s trajectory to more solar, wind, energy efficiency and beneficial electrification in buildings.

Participating in the Transportation and Climate Initiative with our peers across the region should be part of Maine’s transportation solution. By sitting on the sidelines, Maine could miss out on $50 million annually that would bolster our transportation system, support our people and boost our economy. The initiative is the only proposal on the table that guarantees reductions of emissions and provides sufficient, stable and sustainable investments to pay for clean, affordable vehicles, infrastructure and services that benefit all of Maine’s residents.  This is a lost opportunity for leadership on two of Maine’s most critical challenges: reducing pollution from the transportation sector and funding investments to give all Mainers access to affordable, reliable, sustainable transportation options.

It’s important for Maine to participate so we can ensure that the program is designed to benefit the unique needs of a rural state. A recent study details enormous public health benefits from the Transportation and Climate Initiative, including up to $11 billion in annual health benefits, reducing racial health disparities, and avoiding up to 1,100 deaths and 4,700 childhood asthma cases. The Nature Conservancy has documented the clean-energy investments that could be made to expand access and affordability in rural communities using funds that come from a program like the Transportation and Climate Initiative. And surveys indicate that a majority of Mainers support engagement with the Transportation and Climate Initiative.

The good news is that Maine can still participate in the program and receive the cleaner air, improved transportation and strengthened economy that comes with participation – if Gov. Mills signs on in 2021. Maine needs to fully explore every investment opportunity available to create and grow good-paying jobs and rebuild the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Transportation and Climate Initiative’s commitment to direct at least 35 percent of the proceeds to underserved and overburdened communities could send a lifeline to rural parts of the state that are struggling to survive, let alone prosper. It is, once again, a new year for environmental hope and progress. Maine shouldn’t wait for transportation climate action!

Read the full article in the Portland Press Herald here

Connecticut signs on to regional plan to cut transportation emissions

Connecticut has signed on to a ground-breaking plan that will help dramatically lower greenhouse gas and other emissions from transportation and at the same time bring badly needed revenue to the state’s transportation system — and the under-served communities that are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change.

Connecticut will join Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia as the first jurisdictions to commit to the carbon-cutting concept known as the Transportation and Climate Initiative and a final two-year push toward implementing a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, the way the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, known as RGGI, has done for the power sector.

It took 11 years and a relentless slog of working groups, webinars, listening sessions, workshops, memorandums of understanding and other initiatives.

Like RGGI, TCI is a cap-and-invest program and will bring revenue into the state – an estimated $89 million in 2023, increasing to as much as $117 million in 2032. Across all four jurisdictions, the program is expected to bring in $288 million in 2023 alone. In 10 years, that number is expected to reach $380 million a year, and greenhouse gas emissions should be down by 26%, a hefty dent in the reductions the state committed to through its Global Warming Solutions Act.

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“While we know that there are some who feel this isn’t enough of a commitment for these communities, we’re not going to say it’s fine,” said Amy McLean, who runs the Connecticut office of Acadia Center, the New England and New York environmental advocacy group that has pushed for TCI for years. “We do know that this commitment is a good starting point.”

“The most important thing about this effort,” she said, “is that it’s actually moving forward.”

But she cautioned that TCI is not a silver bullet and the other efforts the state has been making towards cleaner transportation – electric vehicle adoption especially, which has been slow and difficult – have to continue.

“All of these policies need to move forward at the same time,” she said.

 

Read the full article from the CT Mirror here

A Plan by Eastern States to Cap Tailpipe Emissions Gets Off to a Slow Start

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Read the full article in the New York Times here