Don’t give up on climate plan for state and region

Connecticut’s transportation system is wreaking havoc on our health, our climate and our economy. Today, most of us travel in gas-powered cars that emit air pollutants which harm public health and warm the planet. And we spend a lot of money doing it: Americans now owe a combined total of over $1.2 trillion on auto loans, a 75 percent increase since 2009.

Gov. Ned Lamont knows we desperately need to transform our transportation system. That’s why it is disappointing to hear he’s ready to throw in the towel on the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program in the state’s upcoming legislative special session. TCI-P is a regional program that would make oil and gas companies pay for the vehicular pollution they cause in the Northeastern and MidAtlantic states, allowing states like Connecticut to reinvest the funds in clean transportation options like public transit, walking and biking infrastructure.

The governor clarified Wednesday that he would still be willing to sign the measure if it reaches his desk. Connecticut can’t afford to wait. Lamont and his colleagues ought to pass TCI-P so that Connecticut can transform our transportation system.

The bipartisan infrastructure package and accompanying reconciliation bill provides a major opportunity to transition to a more sustainable transportation system. The bipartisan bill alone would deliver over $550 billion aimed at rebuilding crumbling infrastructure. This funding would go a long way toward supporting clean transportation options, like electrified vehicles and reliable public transit, and help avoid public health crises of vehicle deaths and air pollution.

While this incoming federal funding could kickstart the transition our transportation system needs, for lasting change, we need steady sources of local funding like TCI-P.

TCI is a multistate program that would cap greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 26 percent over the next decade. To drive down climateharming emissions and incentivize market innovation within the transportation sector, TCI-P would make oil and gas companies pay for the pollution they cause in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. The money raised from the program, projected at over $2 billion annually if all TCI jurisdictions implement the plan, would be invested in expanding clean transportation options, such as electrified public transit and expanded walking and biking infrastructure.

Passing TCI-P would be critical to help Connecticut raise the matching funding that it needs to take advantage of the federal infrastructure bill. The bill requires the federal government to match the funding a state raises for infrastructure projects and multiply it 5, but for this to happen certain conditions have to be met. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection calculated that the state will need to come up with a total of $944.3 million for the federal government to give Connecticut its increase in matching funds. If implemented, TCI could make a significant difference in raising the initial $944.3 million Connecticut needs. The federal infrastructure bill also includes competitive grants states can apply for in order to receive additional funding for specific projects. These grants are in addition to the matching funds. The federal government awards the grants in part based on a state’s ability to provide matching funding.

Moreover, the state thinks that Connecticut will need to raise an additional $148 million to $370 million to have a shot at winning just 1 percent of these competitive grants.

State Sen. Will Haskell, co-chair of the state Senate transportation committee, confirmed that TCI-P would help to raise the matching funds that Connecticut needs to compete for federal infrastructure grants. His colleagues should come on board.

We need a consistent stream of local funding to build a transportation system that prioritizes our needs and the environment. The massive new influx of federal funding will transform our transportation system. But without climate investments like TCI-P , there’s no guarantee that the transformation will reduce carbon emissions and create a transportation system that is safer, cleaner and more affordable for Connecticut.

Lamont should continue to support the implementation of TCI to make this once-in-a-generation federal funding even more impactful.

We need a consistent stream of local funding to build a transportation system that prioritizes our needs and the environment.