Gov. Phil Murphy has filed new claims in the state’s pending lawsuit against New York City’s congestion pricing plan.
The new claims focus on actions taken by the Federal Highway Administration last year to approve last-minute changes that New York officials made to the plan. Murphy says those changes allowed the program to begin without appropriate environmental reviews.
“The decision by the federal government and the MTA to fast-track a proposal that solely benefits New York’s transportation system at the expense of hardworking New Jerseyans must be reevaluated and rescinded,” the governor wrote in a statement. “Not only is this scheme a financial strain on hardworking New Jerseyans, but it will also have adverse environmental consequences on many North Jersey communities, as the federal government has admitted.”
Congestion pricing went into effect earlier this year. Drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street are forced to pay a $9 toll.
New York officials say the toll is an effort to encourage people to take mass transit, as well as raise funds for the MTA.