the fight over a congestion pricing plan is just heating up now that the federal government gave its blessing to New York City's proposal to toll drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street moving one step closer to becoming the first congestion pricing plan in the country but not if New Jersey's staunchest opponents Federal lawmakers have anything to do with it senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports most new jerseyans who commute into Manhattan take a dim view of the mta's proposed congestion pricing fee that could Levy up to 23 bucks a trip on folks driving into a tall Zone south of 60th Street that on top of already Hefty bridge and Tunnel tolls I think it's ridiculous because we are barely living making a living here and then you're going to add taxes more money to come all the way from New Jersey to New York it's already expensive as it is so I don't think that's where it's even up the price even more that doesn't make me want to come to New York the MTA formerly introduced the plan in 2019 to combat downtown traffic and greenhouse gas emissions while also raising revenues for its own coffers it's not playing well in New Jersey we plan a fight we plan to fight hard over the next 30 days and Beyond that's what we do in Jersey when someone's trying to stick it to us two New Jersey congressmen today stood at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel and vowed to contest the Federal Highway administration's decision to Green Light the mta's congestion pricing plan including its environmental impact survey the MTA predicts car and truck traffic will divert to Northern New Jersey in the Bronx to evade paying the extra toll typically according to the mta's report there will be increases in particulate matter nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide in Bergen County as well as toxins like formaldehyde and the adult boroughs in northern New Jersey so they they admitted so bad that they actually have to put 25 million dollars for asthma treatment programs that's how bad the congestion tax will be on our children Congressman Josh gottheimer said the MTA plan includes zero funding to mitigate environmental problems in New Jersey he's filing a formal demand that Federal authorities revoke their initial approval and instead request a full in-depth environmental impact study Congressman Rob Menendez claims the entire plans a thinly veiled Revenue shift of toll money away from the port authority to boost the mta's bottom line an estimated 1.2 billion dollars over 10 years you take that money away from the poor Authority and the next Capital campaign you're talking about potentially not being able to fund a brand new bus terminal which would get cars off the road you may not be able to fund abandoned path service Governor Murphy has called congestion pricing an unfair money grab and says he's closely assessing all legal options I know that the governor is considering uh legal action I urge him to take it as well as to reciprocate look new jerseyans should not fund the mta's budget that's what this comes down to the governors threatened to veto Port Authority meeting minutes over the issue other critics note if the MTA intends congestion pricing to push thousands of commuters onto mass transit it's way too soon the Gateway tunnel project and other upgrades won't be finished for decades the fha's public comment period runs into early June in Jersey City I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news [Music]