SFMTA received $600 million over ten years from California’s cap-and-invest program. The funds supported replacing light rail vehicles and improving transit service through Muni Forward, including the 38 Rapid Geary bus. About 100 transit, clean air, and affordable housing advocates rallied at San Francisco’s Civic Center to demand Governor Newsom stop CARB from allocating up to $4 billion in new free emission permits to Chevron and other large greenhouse gas emitters. Advocates said the proposal would cut funding for Muni and other transit operators and defund affordable housing programs. They argued that free pollution credits are intended to reduce gasoline prices, but reducing gasoline demand requires providing quality public transit alternatives.
"“These funds have gone to crucial efforts like replacing our light rail vehicles and improving transit service through our Muni Forward program (the 38 Rapid Geary bus is an example),” explained SFMTA's Michael Roccaforte."
"“CARB is proposing something that supports our biggest polluters at the expense of public transit riders,” said the San Francisco Transit Riders Dylan Fabris, who also addressed the crowd. “I don't love having to come here every year to tell the governor to stop divesting in public transit.”"
"“It's terrible that we have to be here today,” said the Transbay Coalition's Carter Lavin, who helped organize the rally. “CARB said: 'You know who really needs help right now? Chevron and big polluters,'” he told the crowd. “The state should be doubling down on affordable housing and transit.”"
"The argument for the free pollution credits: to reduce the price of gasoline. But, of course, the way to reduce demand for gasoline is to give people alternatives, such as quality public transit. Advocates expressed frustration that this is coming on the heels of the announcement that they had massively exceeded signature gathering requirements to qualify a regional funding measure for transit."
Read at Streetsblog San Francisco
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