it's not often that an infusion of cash feels like a loss but in the fight against congestion pricing well the Murphy Administration may have just been Delta blow the MTA has said that money from congestion pricing will be coming to New Jersey to mitigate the environmental impacts of traffic that'll overflow into the state and that could actually complicate the state's legal challenge against the pricing plan senior correspondent Breda Flanagan has more on this story folks living in area like Fort Lee where trucks spew exhaust as they cross the George Washington Bridge will apparently get some money from the MTA designed to offset increased pollution driven by congestion pricing tools at least that's what the agency CEO Janel Liber acknowledged yesterday the way that all of this is determined is allocations by the number of people who are in areas that are impacted by additional truck traffic and New Jersey will get its uh its share exactly on the Ari you know when he talks about arithmetic I take that with a grain of salt because their ability to manage money and do math and and balance a budget over at the MTA is certainly uh been challenging Bergen County Executive Jim tadesco joined Governor Murphy's Federal lawsuit against the MTA seeking a brand new full environmental impact study that would show how badly trucks seeking to evade those higher tolls will degrade North Jersey air quality they claim congestion pricing offers millions of dollars for pollution mitigation in areas like the Bronx but guarantees nothing for Bergen or Hudson counties but Liber said the MTA sent updated info to Federal Highway Administration officials we've sub additional materials to them in recent in recent days and weeks and they're reviewing them that is part of the process this means really nothing to me um and certainly a few Pennies on the dollar are not going to change our our position and uh I'm advocating on behalf of the people of Bergen County and the people of North Jersey and actually even the people of New York and we're going to continue down the path and continue to fight but does the MTA signal that it'll share revenues with Jersey change the legal landscape I think that cuts the legs out of New Jersey's strongest claim in the case John reichman filed an amicus brief for environmentalists who support congestion pricing he says the mta's following proper steps to obtain final Federal approval for its environmental assessment the plan greenlighted last summer includes a list of $45 million in possible pollution mitigation projects like plant roadside vegetation renovate local parks and install air filters in schools near highways I think the environmental assessment always indicated that there needed to be mitigation in Bergen County uh what the environmental assessment didn't say was that what the amount would be and whether it would be commensurate with what the Bronx is receiving so now according to the announcement it will be commenor we don't want the emissions we don't want the extra cars the money is secondary so this is really an issue for folks here in New Jersey environmental justice Advocate Melissa M says New Yorkers have a right to cleaner air but New Jersey Town shouldn't have to breathe the displaced pollution the devils in the details I don't think that it's New York's decision you know again that's where you need to come back to folks who will be impacted and say okay what is it that you all need um and it may be financial and it may not be it may be mitigation of the pollution it may be both she says towns need full environmental data and that New Jersey should abandon car Centric projects like widening the turnpike near the Holland Tunnel governor Murphy's office had no comment the judge is expected to rule on the congestion pricing case in June the same month the MTA hopes to start collecting tolls I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news [Music]