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Sen. Kevin Kelly Defends TCI Opposition On All Things Considered

Connecticut State Senator Kevin Kelly
Joseph Lemieux
/
CT Senate Republicans Office
Connecticut State Senator Kevin Kelly

State Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly said on All Things Considered he wouldn't be surprised to see the Transportation and Climate Initiative (or TCI) back up for debate in the Legislature sometime between now and February 2022.

TCI is a regional effort in the northeast to lower auto emissions by making energy wholesalers essentially purchase credits for the level of pollution their products produce above a set limit.

The state would use the proceeds to invest in cleaner energy transportation projects.

Senator Kelly and I engaged in a wide ranging conversation on TCI as both policy and politics.

Here are some highlights of our conversation. You can find a 'skippable' version here.

5:11-to-6:22Is it correct to call TCI a "tax"?
6:23-to-10:40How much will TCI actually cost individual Connecticut Taxpayers?
10:42-to-15:22If the answer is "no" to TCI, what is the GOP's plan to fight climate change?
15:30-to-16:08Is TCI worth doing if states to the immediate west of CT don't have climate initiatives too?
16:14-to-ENDDoes the CT GOP believe that CT Dems support TCI solely as a "money grab?"

John Henry Smith is Connecticut Public’s host of All Things Considered, its flagship afternoon news program. He's proud to be a part of the team that won a regional Emmy Award for The Vote: A Connecticut Conversation. In his 21st year as a professional broadcaster, he’s covered both news and sports.

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