DAN ALLIE
WESTFIELD – Westfield City Councilor Dan Allie has filed a resolution opposing TCI, the Transportation and Climate Initiative. “The motion will be presented at the Feb. 20 Council meeting with a majority of Westfield city councilors as co-sponsors. I want to thank my fellow councilors for co-sponsoring this motion and Mayor (Donald F.) Humason who said he will sign it,” says Allie.
Woonsocket and Foster in Rhode Island recently passed similar resolutions.
“First, Governor Baker ignored the democratic process when he attempted to bypass our legislators voting on it and led a “league of states” to implement this carbon tax scheme. As that effort is falling apart, the state senate is taking up a series of three bills S.2476, S.2477 and S.2478, that together form a climate change package that will drastically increase regulations on how people live their daily lives,” said Allie.
“The state needs to put more resources toward roads and infrastructure, but this is not the way to go. These bills need to be opposed. All taxes must originate in the House. Our state legislators need to hear from us now. This is the type of resolution that Don Humason supported as a State Senator. Unfortunately, Westfield and ten surrounding cities and towns do not have a State Senator. But we all have our own voices, and support on the City Council and of the Mayor,” he said. “As our neighboring states New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut back away from Governor Baker’s Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), Massachusetts stands to lose revenue from sales and income tax.”
No longer a regional initiative, the additional 17 cents on a gallon of gas will have an adverse effect on gas and retail sales at convenience stores and small businesses in all of our bordering towns. It will not just be the sale of gasoline affected as consumer and driver’s behavior and shopping patterns shift. It will affect Lottery tickets, cigarettes, restaurant, grocery and other retail sales.
Massachusetts is already at a competitive disadvantage as a high cost of living and business state, in other sectors such as housing, manufacturing and construction. We only make matters worse for small business owners, working people and seniors by driving up costs.
Allie said this country was built on cheap energy.
“While we all want clean air and water, this carbon tax is not the way to go, and is similar to the Cap and Trade scheme proposed at the 2010 United Nations Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen, it would create a huge fund and a tax on energy through cap and trade, not subject to any voters or body politic. No vote, little discussion and only half the money going to road projects. What could possibly go wrong?” he said.
Background
These bills: S.2476, S.2477 and S.2478, together would drastically increase regulations on how you live your daily life, determining what dishwasher you can have to what shower head you use. Additionally, they tax you on necessities such as driving your vehicle, and heating your home. This package would raise prices on everything.
(S 2476) continues taxpayer-funded subsidies for electric vehicles (EV’s,) increases the requirement for EV charging stations in parking lots with more than 10 spaces as well as all commercial and residential lots. It will also require all taxpayer-funded state vehicles to change to expensive zero emissions vehicles by certain dates.
(S 2477) is a straight Carbon Tax that will increase the cost of living exponentially. It establishes net-neutral greenhouse gas emissions standards by 2050. It accomplishes this by taxing CO2 emissions related to electric power, transportation, commercial and industrial heating and cooling, residential heating and cooling, industrial processes, solid waste, agriculture and natural gas distribution and service. This simply means you will pay more for electricity, gas, heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, trash disposal, food, and any other goods and services that uses any of these things to be made for you or to get to you.
(S 2478) Substantially expands the Massachusetts Appliance Efficiency Standards Act to increase regulations on a wider variety of consumer and commercial products. It requires cooking appliances, air ventilation systems, and lamps to meet federal Energy Star guidelines. It adopts California energy regulations for computers and computer monitors. It establishes specific flow volumes required for plumbing fixtures, including shower heads, faucets, toilets, and urinals. It sets an effective date of January 1, 2022, after which products covered in this act must meet their new regulations in order to be sold or installed in Massachusetts, and it maintains existing federal water and energy efficiency requirements in Massachusetts in the event they are withdrawn or repealed.
