Pollution and the pandemic are a deadly mix; it’s time to change that
By Lauren Bailey
COVID-19 is striking neighborhoods that were already suffering before the pandemic: one of the most likely indicators of severe respiratory illness is living in an area with high levels of air pollution. Many of these communities also endure high rates of poverty yet are home to the essential workers on the front lines of the crisis. This pandemic has put the inequity of our climate crisis into stark contrast and has made the dire need for reductions in toxic emissions even more clear.
Kelsey Crane column: Virginians deserve better and cleaner transportation options
Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia
By Kelsey Crane
Virginia’s transportation system is in need of serious improvements. Continuing with the status quo of perpetual highway expansion is outdated and isn’t meeting the needs or serving the best interests of our communities. Instead, it’s hurting our environment, health and wallets. Burning motor fuels produces almost half (45%) of the climate pollution in the commonwealth, and that tailpipe pollution also contributes to an influx of health problems and hospital visits that burden Virginians with health care costs.
Gov. Lamont, CT leaders can light the way toward lower emissions
Hartford Business, Hartford, Connecticut
By Susan Dio
The states have long been pioneers of progress in America, running experiments that help us discover solutions to our toughest challenges.
Where TCI came from and where it can take us
By Tom Hughes
This spring, Gov. Phil Scott will have the opportunity to strengthen the economy, promote equity, and protect the environment by joining the Transportation and Climate Initiative. If he refuses to join our neighbors in the fight against climate pollution, it is very likely that Vermonters will pay higher prices for fossil fuels without receiving any of TCI’s investment benefits.
Modernizing our transportation system will help New Jersey’s economy thrive
By Hugh Welsh
New Jersey is a key transportation hub. With major interstates, railways, ports and airports, our transportation system is vital to the state’s economy. It is also a major contributor to climate change. With more than 40% of New Jersey’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions coming from transportation — more than any other sector—the state must take local and regional action to transition to a clean, modern transportation system.
We’ve Got One Chance
By Anthony Cherolis
Our transportation systems, how we get around from A to B to C, are putting the planet in a dangerous slide toward climate catastrophe. This isn’t hyperbole. It would have been better to start working toward a solution decades ago, when the terrible reality of human-caused climate change became evident. That said, we can’t waste another year without action.
We need better transportation options, not more roads and more lanes
Washington Post, Washington, DC
By Parris N. Glendening
When President Trump attempted to eliminate California’s more stringent fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks, local elected officials cried foul — and not just in California. Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and the District all use California’s tougher standards. But in the face of a growing and urgent climate crisis, even those standards are insufficient. We need to push the envelope further — with cleaner cars and more trains, more buses, more safe places to bike, walk and roll, and we need a way to do all of this on a massive scale.
Why electric buses are part of our transportation future
Hartford Courant, Hartford Connecticut
By Emily Alexander and Alex Rodriguez
Climate change is the greatest challenge of our generation. As citizens of this planet, we cannot sit idly by while it goes up in flames. In order to cut down emissions, preserve our environment and ensure public health for all, we need a bold solution.
Opinion: Time for Lamont to get serious about clean transportation
New Haven Register, New Haven, Connecticut
By Samathan Dynowski
Climate change is on everyone’s mind. How could it not be? We see one news story after another about climate catastrophe around the world. We can literally feel the impact of the climate crisis as summers get hotter and winters get warmer, like on Jan. 11 when record high temperatures of 68 degrees hit Hartford and brought people out into the streets in their shorts and flip-flops.
Why Maine needs the Transportation Climate Initiative
Bangor Daily News, Bangor, Maine
By Phelps Turner
As any Mainer knows, we have a transportation problem. And it unfortunately goes beyond limited access to public transit and chronic underfunding of our transportation infrastructure. The greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks and buses are the largest contributor to the climate crisis, and it’s getting worse.