dc188 New Jersey Asks Judge to Delay Congestion Pricing Plan

New Jersey officials have asked a federal judge to block New York’s plan to begin charging drivers to enter Manhattan’s busiest roadways starting Sunday.

In a late-night court filing on Tuesday, lawyers for New Jersey argued that plans by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to commence its congestion pricing program as scheduled would cause “irreparable harm.”

“Without enforceable mitigation measures to alleviate significant environmental impacts in New Jersey, traffic increases and attendant air quality impacts will surely result from the congestion pricing scheme,” the filing stated.

The legal maneuver is the latest effort by New Jersey to stop the tolling program before it starts. The new $9 toll would be the nation’s first congestion-pricing fee, and the revenue generated would be used to improve public transportation in New York City and its New York suburbs.

The State of New Jersey filed one of several lawsuits that seek to derail the program, which federal transportation officials approved more than a year ago. And on Monday a federal judge, Leo M. Gordon of U.S. District Court in New Jersey, issued a lengthy ruling interpreted as a victory by the M.T.A. and by New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul.

Hours before New Jersey filed paperwork seeking the 11th-hour injunction, lawyers met briefly with Judge Gordon in a hastily scheduled video conference. Representatives for both states said the judge took no action during the meeting, making it unclear what New Jersey officials believe might now persuade him to intervene further.

“From our earliest days, America’s economic strength has been tied to our industrial strength,” she said. “The same is true today. So I will recommit the nation to global leadership in the sectors that will define the next century.”

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