Bay State balks at Baker’s fuel fee

Poll: Majority in Mass. against paying more for climate package

A new statewide poll shows that the majority of Massachusetts residents are circumstantially opposed to the Transportation Climate Initiative, a regional agreement that would raise gas prices in an effort to reduce carbon emissions.

The poll, released Wednesday by the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, found that just over 61 percent of people said they strongly or somewhat oppose Massachusetts joining TCI if neighboring states decide not to join.

“What’s very clear to me is, based off this poll, people do care about making sure Massachusetts has a clean environment,” Mass. Fiscal Alliance spokesman Paul Craney told the Herald. “But when you compare the TCI to issue of taxes, fees and fuel costs, those are paramount. Voters here have strong opinions on making sure those things are affordable. I think it’s because they’re sensitive to the notion of ‘taxachusetts’.”

Governors in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont and Maine have already cast a shadow on the Transportation Climate Initiative, which would implement a gas fee to reduce carbon emissions. Officials have estimated the measure would raise gas prices between 5 to 17 cents per gallon in the first year but it remains unclear how high that cost could rise in subsequent years.

The survey was the first to take the temperature of voters on the issue since a draft agreement came out in December, resulting in New Hampshire’s abrupt rejection of the measure. Commissioned by MassFiscal Alliance and conducted by Jim Eltringham of Advantage Inc, a D.C.-based polling company, 712 likely Massachusetts voters were contacted between Jan. 14-19.

Gov. Charlie Baker doubled down on his support for the controversial Transportation

Climate Initiative in his State of the State address Tuesday. His office declined to comment, but pointed to a MassINC poll taken before the draft agreement was released that found two-thirds of voters support the measure.

The regional uncertainty has been a cause for concern for House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who has promised to release his own revenue package for transportation in the coming months. The poll also found that more than 63 percent of Massachusetts voters strongly or somewhat oppose paying the TCI fuel costs and any additional gasoline taxes increased by the legislature.

“Every data set tells a story and it really does tell a story,” Eltringham said. “When people are asked if they support a measure to help environment that has this price tag from their own wallet, that’s when you start seeing the dip.”