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Lamont pulls the plug on the Transportation Climate Initiative

Governor Ned Lamont has withdrawn a controversial proposal that would have had Connecticut join a multi-state Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI).

Lamont had pushed lawmakers to reconsider the initiative — which would have capped carbon emissions from gasoline and required gas suppliers to buy carbon credits — after it failed during the regular legislative session.

He decided to ditch TCI because of the record price of gas at the pump, which is at a seven-year high.

“We had a hard time doing TCI when gas prices were at historic lows. So it’s probably not the year to do it this year with gas prices where they are,” Lamont said.

The federal infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden will help Connecticut with some of the infrastructure and resiliency improvements TCI would have funded, said Lamont.

“It’s less load to bear right now because of the federal infrastructure bill,” Lamont said.

Republicans had opposed joining the TCI. They had claimed it would mean a five-cent-per-gallon gas tax that the state’s middle class cannot afford.

Copyright 2021 WSHU. To see more, visit WSHU.

As WSHU Public Radio’s award-winning senior political reporter, Ebong Udoma draws on his extensive tenure to delve deep into state politics during a major election year. In addition to providing long-form reports and features for WSHU, he regularly contributes spot news to NPR, and has worked at the NPR National News Desk as part of NPR’s diversity initiative.

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