Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides told a Senate oversight committee Monday it could expect the early framework for a multi-state pact to reduce carbon emissions from transportation sources by early October, ahead of a legislative summit at Yale.

The update came during a tense hearing where Sen. Michael Barrett (D-Lexington) complained about the administration’s “infatuation with planning” and Sen. Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) urged Gov. Charlie Baker to use his position to push for more aggressive climate action.

The criticism had less to do with the Transportation Climate Initiative and more to do with the frustration felt by leading climate activists and legislators with the pace of activity on Beacon Hill. Earlier in the day, Pacheco gave a speech on the floor of the Senate warning about the dangers of waiting too long to set more aggressive state emission reduction goals.

Theoharides said the state’s 2018 energy plan needed more refining to suss out more specifics. The “roadmap” with the different options will come out in the summer of 2020, she said, followed by the administration’s clean energy and climate plan required by December 2020.

“Your leadership on TCI is crucial and it’s also gutsy, and I appreciate that. Still, this endless infatuation with planning and scenario building is frustrating,” Barrett said. “At some point, scenarios become a dodge.”

Theoharides, who was appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker in April, is helping to lead a 12-state effort to develop a regional “cap-and-invest” program similar to the one Massachusetts and other states on the East Coast developed to curb power plant emissions.

The goal of the so-called Transportation Climate Initiative is to cap emissions from vehicles and other transportation sources, and use the money derived from the sale of credits for excess emissions to invest in low-carbon transportation infrastructure.

Theoharides said the leadership team of the TCI meets monthly, and gathered last week in Montpelier, Vermont. The framework released in early October will be turned into a memorandum of understanding by November with the goal of states being able to sign a finalized agreement by December.

Pacheco said it was encouraging that the framework would be released before the Council of State Governments hosts a summit at Yale University at the end of October where the TCI will be one of the topics.

Theoharides, who is planning to attend the CSG summit in Connecticut, said a “high degree of flexibility is being built into the program for how states can spend the money,” which is where state legislators will play a big role.