A draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) released today by Northeast states and Washington, D.C. for cleaner regional transportation is an important first step that will require states to uphold the highest possible standard, according to local regional, and national advocates and other experts who held a press call today to outline the implications of the Transportation and Climate Initiative’s draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and related impact modeling.
In October, 12 states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia) and the District of Columbia committed to release a draft MOU by the end of December 2019 for a regional policy to clean up and modernize transportation through a cap-and-invest approach. The draft Memorandum of Understanding was accompanied by modeling results that estimate the energy and emissions implications of different cap levels and investment scenarios, as well as potential benefits of different program design options.
An improved transportation system would mean more clean cars and trucks, reliable mass transit, walkable and bikeable communities, less climate pollution, and investments that connect everyone, including those in underserved and rural areas.
Comments from local, regional and national experts included the following:
“As advocates for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, we are excited that TCI is moving forward. We will continue to be part of conversations around strong investments in transit, clean air for environmental justice communities, and infrastructure to support walking and biking. TCI gives the whole region the opportunity to create unprecedented investments and we look forward to all the good it will do.” — Lauren Bailey, director of climate policy, Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
