A clarification has been added to this story to more fully detail the poll description of the transportation climate initiative.
A NEW POLL indicates two-thirds of voters in major northeast states know little or nothing about an initiative expected to be unveiled shortly that would charge fuel distributors for the pollution their products produce and use the proceeds to fund cleaner transportation options.
The poll, conducted by the MassINC Polling Group and paid for by the Barr Foundation, attempted to assess support for the so-called transportation climate initiative being developed by 12 states and the District of Columbia. Details about the initiative haven’t been released yet, so the poll described it in broad brush strokes as a two-step measure – first, charging fuel distributors for allowances needed to sell their products and, second, using the allowance money to develop cleaner and better transportation options or using the funds to help residents with any higher costs the distributors pass on to them.
The poll indicated 66 percent of those surveyed in seven states favored the transportation climate initiative as described in the poll. In Massachusetts, 68 percent supported the initiative.
But it’s unclear how firm that support is because the definition of the transportation climate initiative used in the poll failed to explicitly mention that the cost of the allowances would most likely be passed along to drivers in the form of higher prices at the gas pump. Indeed, many believe the impact of the transportation climate initiative would be much the same as an increase in the gas tax.
In mid-November, another poll by the MassINC Polling Group found far less support for a gas tax hike in Massachusetts. According to that poll, 43 percent of those surveyed favored a 15-cent hike in the gas tax and 52 percent opposed it. Asked whether they would support a 5-cent increase in the gas tax every other year for three years, 49 percent were in favor and 47 percent opposed.
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About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
In a report on its latest poll, the MassINC Polling Group described the two-thirds support as “a starting point for the public conversation about to unfold around transportation and climate change. As of right now, the public is largely unaware of the policy under development. Two-thirds of voters had heard only a little or nothing at all about TCI when asked. As policy details are announced and publicized — including details on how much the program could raise and what impact it could have on prices at the pump — opinion could shift.”
The online poll of 6,395 registered voters was conducted November 12-19 in seven states – Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
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