In our Spotlight on Business Report New York's controversial congestion pricing plan is getting some support from this side of the river dozens of environmental transportation and health advocacy groups from New Jersey are today filing a legal brief opposing the federal lawsuit Governor Murphy brought against the mta's congestion pricing plan many Jersey drivers are not happy to be facing a $15 fee on top of current tolls to enter Manhattan below 60th Street but the group groups argue the benefits to New Jersey residents will outweigh the cost senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports all of the focus was on you know what New New Jersey drivers would pay without uh looking at uh the substantial benefits John reichman and other Jersey clean air Crusaders who vigorously support the mta's congestion pricing plan felt they needed to do more than just wave signs so 30 4 advocacy organizations are waiting into a legal battle arguing against Governor Murphy who filed suit to block congestion pricing Murphy maintains he's fighting to save New Jersey drivers from paying the higher tolls and from truck traffic trying to avoid them at its heart this is a matter of new jerseyans being treated fairly and we will fight like tooth and nail to ensure that is the case we are not the mta's 18 M period and if they don't know that by now they're going to learn it that's an easy sound bite it's a more difficult to basically set out all the various benefits uh that New Jersey would get uh from the congestion pricing program reichman's Amicus brief lists eight benefits new jerseyans would gain from congestion pricing including breathing cleaner air whenever they walk and wherever they work better and fast faster commutes faster travel and easier parking once they get there and for many drivers these benefits will outweigh paying a toll clean water actions Dave Pringle calls congestion pricing a no-brainer the worst air quality in our area are in Hudson County Fort Lee area uh Manhattan and this plan addresses that the governor doesn't even have a plan he's just condemning somebody somebody else from for coming up with a plan Governor Murphy's lawsuit argues the FED should have demanded a more thorough environmental impact statement before approving congestion pricing but the Amicus brief points to a $10.7 billion Jersey Turnpike extension plan near the Holland Tunnel noting Murphy did not require it to pass the same rigorous examination it would increase the amount of cars it would increase the amount of pollution it would increase the amount of greenhouse gases and it would dis proportionately harm already overburden communities yet for that project the governor's position is that there does not even have to be a full environmental review the MTA approved its congestion pricing plan almost unanimously it did offer a $5 discount for passenger vehicles entering the central business district via the Lincoln and Holland tunnels but not the George Washington Bridge it hopes to launch the system in late spring lawsuits not withstanding the complaint is you know we we want the lawsuit thrown out we want congestion pricing moving forward done in the right way but this is politics nobody gets everything they want the governor's office offered no comment I'm Brenda Flanigan NJ Spotlight News NJ Spotlight News