Climate plan an important step for CT
Fossil fuels have powered the world economy for generations, but it has not been without cost. In addition to immediate health concerns from mining and burning long-buried carbon deposits, the longterm effect on our atmosphere is even more severe. We should not expect to escape such dangers without paying a price.
A few extra cents per gallon of gasoline will not be the end of it.
It could be an important step, though, which is why Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont was right to enter into the Transportation and Climate Initiative, a regional market-based program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
The agreement focuses on the largest source of emissions in the state and the Northeast, and is projected to increase gas prices by 5 cents per gallon by 2023.
There’s been some disagreement about whether this charge can properly be called a tax, and it’s a sensitive topic because Connecticut is already known for high gas prices. But it doesn’t matter what it’s called
— the plan is sound and likely to be effective, if only one step among many necessary to curb emissions.
Proceeds from the program are to be deposited in the state’s Special Transportation Fund lockbox, with at least 35 percent directed to overburdened and underserved communities. Spending will focus on further reducing emissions, though making driving more expensive has also shown to have an impact on people’s driving habits.
Lamont has promised that increases in gasoline prices will not exceed 5 cents a gallon in 2023 or 10 cents a gallon by the end of 2032, and given regular fluctuations in the price of filling up attributable to any number of factors, it’s likely most people wouldn’t even notice those kinds of changes. Even if those prognostications change, this is an important enough project that it’s worth the cost.
The effects of climate change are already being felt, and not just in faraway places. Local communities need to invest now in resiliency measures to plan for serious floods that are likely to become more common in years to come. Severe storms and extreme events are already a regular part of life, and show no sign of abating. The emergency is here already.
Taking steps to limit fossil fuel usage is important, as well as the efforts the extra money into the transportation fund will help pay for. It’s not something that can wait for better budgetary days.
The worries of local business owners and people on the economic brink should not be dismissed. Five cents a gallon is not nothing. And it’s certainly true the transportation sector is not alone in generating emissions. A real attempt to bring Connecticut into the future demands a closer look at our electric grid and the ways we generate power. Natural gas is not the answer.
But that doesn’t eliminate the need to take on transportation. It will require an all-hands effort to tackle climate change, one that goes far beyond Connecticut. A rethinking of our entire transit system is in order. As we work our way there, TCI is an important step in the right direction.
— Connecticut Post, March 14