Drivers in the eastern United States may soon start paying for the pollution made by their motor vehicles. Nine eastern states and Washington, D.C. are launching a system of pricing the carbon dioxide produced from burning gasoline and diesel fuel. Many scientists believe that carbon dioxide and other gases released by vehicles and factories are to blame for a general warming of our planet. Since Donald Trump became president, the federal government has eased back from efforts meant to fight climate change. But the proposal to set a price on vehicle emissions is an example of how states and cities are taking action themselves. The plan is an idea of the Transportation and Climate Initiative, or TCI. It would likely require fuel suppliers to pay for each ton of carbon dioxide that their products produce. Drivers would likely then pay more for the fuel they buy. In a statement, TCI said money raised by the program would be used to improve transportation systems and reduce pollution from cars, trucks and buses.
