New Jersey sues New York.. stop congestion pricing

0:00 Speaker 1 With us today is Governor Murphy and of New Jersey, and he’s also the chairman of the National Governors Association. And on Friday morning, there was a major lawsuit found by New Jersey against the Federal Highway Administration. Governor Murphy, can you talk to us about that?

0:20 Speaker 2 John, good to be on with the again, and yeah. So this brings me no joy because we have a very good relationship with the Biden administration, with Governor Holkele and her administration both generally and personally. But the fact of the matter is that this congestion pricing scheme is going to have enormous financial impact on New Jersey commuters

0:44 and enormous environmental and negative environmental impact on many communities in our state. The Federal Highway Administration chose to ignore the option of doing what they call a full environmental impact study, which admittedly takes a while, but frankly, it’s in something like this with the most densely populated region of the United States. If you’re ever going to pursue

1:12 that study, it’s with a project like this. They chose not to pursue it. And the fact of the matter is, John, and you and I have talked about this. Not only will Jersey commuters get gouged as they try to find their way across the Hudson, but you’re gonna have a lot of traffic diverted, especially up toward the George Washington Bridge.

1:32 And I was at Fort Lee today. That’s a good example of this where you’re going to have enormously negative environmental impacts. And so we are suing to halt the current scheme and to get the FEDS to agree to do this environmental impact study understood, and it is crazy what’s going on. I know that the MTA had six

2:03 people involved, uh, and to to make the decision of congestion pricing, and nobody from New Jersey was represented. And that just for the record, it was John Banks, President of the Real Estate Board, John Goodso, UH, the Long Hand Federation of Labor, John, John Samuelson, Elizabeth Blez, Paul Weissberg, Kathy.

2:28 Speaker 1 Wilde and they were all involved. And I don’t understand why New Jersey wasn’t quoted to be part of that.

2:36 Speaker 2 Meeting, nor do I And by the way, we have I know some of those folks personally have enormous regard for the likes of John Samuelson and Kathy Wilde, who we do a lot of good work with. But the fact of the matter is, uh, if this were a normal you know, take away the pandemic reality. We have

2:56 a couple one hundred thousand commuters go hit into Manhattan every day, so we’re not sort of some flyspeck here. And the fact of the matter is, we’re not going to take it, and we’re going to take legal action as we have today, and we will not relent. This just isn’t right. And John, it’s not You and I

3:17 have talked about this. It’s not like we’re not pro environment I think I’ve got the strongest environmental record of any American state over the past six years. We believe in mitigating pollution. That’s not the issue. The fact of the matter is we don’t have the two extra rail tunnels built under the Hudson yet they’re finally getting done.

3:37 We don’t have the new Port Authority bus terminal. It’s finally getting done. There’ll be a time and a place at a certain price I assume where this will make sense, but not today.

3:49 Speaker 1 Well, it’s failed in London, I understand, and it’s failed in other places. And Governor to me. New York City was the center of the world, and we’re gonna hurt it. And we’re gonna hurt it from people from New Jersey coming in. We’re gonna heard it from people from the other four boroughs coming in and on behalf of all

4:17 New Yorkers. Governor Murphy, I want to thank you for filing that lawsuit and it’s the right thing to do for the people. And that’s my full opinion. And God bless you, and thank you so much.

4:32 Speaker 2 Thank you. John