Transportation and Climate Initiative
The Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) is a regional collaboration of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. The group is facilitated by the Georgetown Climate Center and seeks to improve transportation, develop the clean energy economy, and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector.
In December 2018, nine states and the District of Columbia committed to working together to develop a regional policy proposal to cap and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. The policy design process will take place through 2019, after which each jurisdiction will decide whether to adopt and implement the policy. In Massachusetts and many of the other TCI states, transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. A robust and equitable TCI program can help generate revenue to support investments needed in cleaner and more efficient vehicles, reliable and safe public transportation, and walking and biking infrastructure.
How is MAPC Involved?
MAPC has been bringing together our fellow Councils of Governments (COGs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to learn more about the TCI program and policy design process. Regional councils are well poised to engage municipal and regional stakeholders on the importance of this program, and serve as important convening spaces for regional transportation and climate issues. Furthermore, many of these agencies are tasked with programming federal transportation dollars, and can implement policies and programs that complement TCI investment strategies.
Webinar: Transportation and Climate Initiative 101
On August 13, 2019, MAPC hosted a TCI 101 webinar. Speakers provided an overview of the Transportation and Climate Initiative and explained how the program can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. We also heard from the state leadership team about their work to develop a regional policy framework and discussed how COGs, MPOs, and other regional planning entities can help advance this important initiative.
COG/MPO Convening - June 2019
On June 24, MAPC convened a group of COGs and MPOs to learn more about the Transportation and Climate Initiative and discuss ways regional councils can promote the program. We began the day with a TCI 101 presentation from cap-and-invest experts and state leadership that have been deeply engaged in the issue. Next, we heard about the innovative work COGs and MPOs are doing to advance climate mitigation strategies within the transportation sector. We concluded with small group discussions focused on principles COGs and MPOs would like to see in a TCI program and identified ways in which COGs and MPOs can educate municipal and regional stakeholders on the TCI process.
The presentations are available below:
Panel I: TCI Background and Policy Design Overview
Panelists explained how a cap-and-invest policy for transportation could work, provided an overview of the TCI policy design process to date, and discussed future opportunities for engagement.
Moderator:
Barry Seymour, Executive Director, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission
Panel 2: How Could TCI Dollars Advance the Work of COGs and MPOs?
Representatives from different regional councils will showcase ongoing work to advance climate mitigation strategies in transportation planning. Panelists will also discuss how TCI could expand these projects and allow smaller regional councils to engage in these efforts as well. Panel discussion will be followed by time for questions.
Moderator:
Rebecca Davis, Deputy Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
COG/MPO Convening - January 2020
On January 16, 2020, MAPC facilitated a follow-up convening of COGs and MPOs at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) in D.C. We spent the morning hearing from staff from the Georgetown Climate Center and members of the TCI leadership team to learn more about the draft MOU that was released in December 2019, as well as some of the preliminary modeling results. After lunch, we had a series of small group discussions throughout the afternoon to discuss how COGs and MPOs can support education efforts about the program to our member communities, and how the ongoing modeling and planning work of regional councils can be complementary to the TCI program design.
Presentations
Staff from the Georgetown Climate Center and members of TCI leadership talked about the December 2019 draft MOU and preliminary modeling results.
Earl Lewis
Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of Transportation
(no presentation)
Questions about MAPC's work on the Transportation and Climate Initiative?
Please contact Policy Analyst Kasia Hart at [email protected].