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Governor Ned Lamont has withdrawn a controversial proposal that would have had Connecticut join a multi-state Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI).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