The biggest culprits of dirty emissions: vehicle exhaust and emissions from building heating and cooling systems which environmental experts say release dangerous particulate matter. Dr. Rebecca French, the director of the Office of Climate Planning at the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) says, “Those things are what causes asthma, aggravates and impacts the heart.” Enter TCI – the Transportation Climate Initiative. A regional cap and trade to raise money for reducing greenhouse gases. TCI supporters claim that it will reduce emissions by 26% by 2032, but according to the organization that created it, the Georgetown Climate Center, which actually projects 25.7% of the 26% emission reductions will be achieved through existing and future vehicle fuel economy standards – not TCI.
