The GQP Cares About Climate! So When CT Prepared A Cap-And-Trade Plan, GQP Screamed "TAXES!"
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Its a huge regressive tax, and the loudest cry comes from low- and middle-income families and retirees, said Kevin Kelly, the Republican leader in the state Senate. These are the folks who cant afford a new electric vehicle, who are driving older cars.
The Transportation Climate Initiative or TCI for short is not a tax. It is a regional cap-and-trade plan to raise money to combat climate change by reducing motor vehicle pollution, which is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. It requires large gasoline and diesel fuel suppliers to purchase allowances to offset the environmental harm caused by combustion of the carbon-based fuels they sell in Connecticut, essentially putting a price tag on pollution.
The money raised through TCI would provide a dedicated fund to pay for clean transportation, everything from light rail to electric schoolbuses. Supporters concede the plan will result a gas price increase of about 5 cents per gallon, but they say the costs will largely be born by wholesalers. Critics disagree, saying the increase will be far higher and will be passed on to consumers at the pump.
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By calling TCI a tax, Republicans are using a classic strategy to kill environmental policies, said Kenneth Gillingham, a professor at the Yale School of the Environment. This goes back decades and sometimes its a successful approach. TCI will raise the price of using fossil fuels, he said. But the revenue that will be raised will be used for more efficient transportation solutions. The revenue will come right back to Connecticut. The state is incentivizing people to stop using the fuels that both lead to climate change and reduce our air quality.
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https://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-tci-tax-20210927-vt3j5ud37nhq3fdajfqqmshpce-story.html