Connecticut Shelves Transportation Climate Initiative

by Christine Stuart (NBC Connecticut) Transportation Climate Initiative proponents rallied outside the state Capitol Friday to encourage lawmakers to pass legislation that would create a carbon cap on transportation emissions. It will likely increase gas taxes - and that’s a point of contention.

“They’ve been calling it a gas tax. It is not a gas tax. They have been wildly exaggerating the cost of the program based on long-debunked studies. They’ve been fear-mongering that this will cause gas shortages,” Dykes said.

Despite assurances from Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes – the regional transportation initiative won’t go forward.

The revenue from the initiative would have helped fund programs that lower carbon emissions from transportation.

“This provides real revenues for us,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “This provides revenue for us to provide free bus services on the weekend. Get you out of those cars make it easy for that kid to get to the beach make it easy for you to get to the museum easier to buy groceries so you don’t have to take two bus stops to get to.”

But by the end of the day the initiative was dead. Lawmakers and Lamont said it would not be part of a budget deal. READ MORE