FREE WEBINAR: Tuesday, October 24, 7:30-9:00 PMThe transportation system in Massachusetts is like the weather - everyone complains about it but no one does anything about it.
With your help, that may be about to change.The Baker Administration has announced four
“listening sessions” to generate ideas on how to build a cleaner transportation system for Massachusetts residents:
Tuesday, October 31, 9:00am, State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA
Thursday, November 2, 6:00pm, MassDEP Central Region Office, 8 New Bond Street, Worcester, MA
Monday, November 6, 11:00am, UMass-Amherst, Student Union - Cape Cod Lounge, 280 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA
Thursday, November 9, 6:00pm, West Middle School, 271 West Street, Brockton, MA
Whether it’s public transit, high speed rail, walking and biking infrastructure, or roads and bridges, the Commonwealth’s transportation system leaves a lot to be desired:
- Polluting
- Expensive
- Inequitable
- Unreliable
- Under-funded
- Under-maintained
And the funding problems in particular will only exacerbate as vehicle fuel economy improves, yielding fewer gas tax revenues. (Vehicle fuel taxes pay for nearly
a third of our transportation costs.)
This webinar will offer an overview of an approach that has worked well in the electric sector in terms of reducing costs and yielding revenues to be re-invested wisely, and could offer a model for the transportation sector as well.
In the electric sector, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (or RGGI, pronounced “Reggie”), is a “cap and invest” program that puts a regional limit on pollution, requires power plant operators to purchase allowances for any carbon pollution they produce, and proceeds from those allowance sales are invested in energy efficiency and clean energy, which creates jobs and boosts the economy.
States, including Massachusetts, are actively considering expanding this model for the transportation sector. But they want to know if the public would support it. Join this webinar to learn more details and get all your questions answered, and ideally suggest this approach at an upcoming listening session!
Presenters:Daniel Gatti, Union of Concerned Scientists
Emily Norton, MA Sierra Club
Jordan Stutt, Acadia Center
Joel Wool, Clean Water Action
Cost: Free
Signup Instructions: Register here, and webinar instructions will be emailed to you.
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