Representing New Jersey to stop Congestion Pricing.

0:00 Speaker 1 What is today. We have a very prominent attorney. We have a good friend, Randy Mestro. He serves as deputy mayor in the Giuliani administration and now he represents mayor the mayor Governor Murphy of New Jersey on his congestion pricing Randy Meshrow, what the heck is going on?

0:24 Speaker 2 Well, John, it’s a pleasure to be with you again. What’s going on is New York’s MTA is trying to pay for it’s fifteen billion dollar capital program to a large extent at the expense of New Jersey, both financially and environmentally. It didn’t do the environmental reviews properly. Federal law requires a federal FHWA. Never should have green lit

0:54 this project to go forward, fast tracked it without a full environmental review, and the consequences are going to be felt not only throughout New York, but heavily, heavily in New Jersey, where so much traffic is going to be diverted from people trying to avoid this congestion pricing tax.

1:17 Speaker 1 Yeah, they say, to try to avoid it, they’re going to try to go up and above it, up to the George Washington Bridge. So there’s going to be more congestion, in more pollution up in the northern part of Manhattan versus the southern part of Manhattan.

1:35 Speaker 2 Well, hey, John, imagine it in New Jersey. Imagine Bergen County where even the analysis that was done by the Federal Highway Administration and the MTA shows that it’s going to experience a huge spike in air pollution issues in traffic.

1:57 It’s terrible what’s going to happen in certain communities from this? And there hasn’t been not a time of mitigation provided for New Jersey. And what’s going to happen there has.

2:11 Speaker 1 Well, Governor Hokeel, Governor Hopel today, when the MTA tried to make another money grab on the arizontal bridge during the uh Yeah, during the marathon, Governor Governor Hoko told him forget about it. I mean, well, hey, dayway daily, I mean, you gotta put an easy pass on every year runner.

2:37 Speaker 2 Here’s the thing, Okay, the MTA, which are the hugest budgets of any government authority, it has a voracious appetite for picking other people’s pockets. You go after a not for profit like the New York City Marathon and the road Runners, and now they are trying to pay for their entire capital project, you know, with this congestion pricing scheme, unprecedented,

3:01 first of it’s kind in this nation. Yet they and the Federal Highway Administration say there will be no significant impact from that change. It doesn’t compute, doesn’t make sense because it’s not true. It’s going to cause huge impacts.

3:15 Speaker 1 When do we find out what the court is going to do.

3:21 Speaker 2 Well, we had two days of hearings in Newark, New Jersey, in federal court, and the judge committed that he’s going to rule on this well in advance of the date the MPa says they’re turning on the switch, which is June mid June, so we’re hopeful to get a ruling relatively soon and certainly well before that date. And we

3:41 had two days of incredible hearings where we just laid out how many different ways this environmental review was deficient, and how there’s no mitigation measures, no mitigation funding for New Jersey, no financial benefit for New Jersey when its mass transit system is going to be taxed by this scheme.

4:05 It’s just not right, it’s not fair, it’s not legal under federal law, and that’s why we’re in court. And I give Governor Murphy tremendous credits taking on the Federal Highway Administration and his friends in New York. But this is not how friends treat their neighbors. Absolutely so good for him.

4:25 Speaker 1 Thank you, Randy Mastro and keep us up to speed whenever you know, please text us right away. And WABC were broadcasted to the world and just mentioned to Governor Murphy, make sure we don’t kill our whales.

4:42 Speaker 2 John. Pleasure to be with you. OK, thank you, thank you so much.