Governor Hochul’s flipping on Congestion Pricing tangled alliances both legal and political, but this takes the cake. Sources told NY1 News that Attorney General Letitia James can’t defend Hochul against lawsuits. These lawsuits are seeking to force her to “unpause” Congestion Pricing. Her office is already defending against others who were trying to force the pause. This would leave James on both sides of the conflict.
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
State Senator Liz Krueger, who represents the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island, was quick to get behind James.
New York City – Senator Liz Krueger released the following statement today regarding Attorney General Letitia James’ decision not to defend Governor Kathy Hochul’s actions that have prevented the Congestion Pricing program from being implemented:
“I strongly support Attorney General James’ decision not to defend Governor Hochul’s “indefinite pause” of congestion pricing in the two recently filed lawsuits by the Sierra Club, Riders Alliance, NYC-EJA, and the City Club of New York. Setting aside for the moment my steadfast support of congestion pricing on policy grounds for more than a decade, I believe that the Governor is just plain wrong on her legal power to institute this pause, which she has recently suggested could well become a permanent measure based on nothing more than her own personal evaluation of the issue. This, to be clear, would be a radical act of disregard for the rule of law and the division of powers in New York State.
“Congestion pricing is the law, passed by overwhelming majorities in both houses of the State Legislature and signed by the Governor’s predecessor as part of the 2019 State Budget. I applaud the Attorney General for her correct assertion that defending a unilateral attempt to override state law for political reasons would present a conflict of interest for her office.
“I urge Governor Hochul to “unpause” congestion pricing and start this program up as soon as possible. All that is needed is the signature of the State Transportation Commissioner to begin collecting these tolls. We are already forty days late, and the excess traffic that could have been addressed by congestion pricing has already emitted almost 300,000 tons of CO2, wasted 1.5 million hours of peoples’ time in traffic, and deprived the MTA of more than $100 million in capital money. It is time for Governor Hochul to reaffirm the commitment to the environment that she professed in her meeting with Pope Francis back in May, to lead on the climate and on the public transit that is so essential to cutting our emissions and protecting public health, and to stop spending taxpayer money on outside counsel to defend her executive overreach.
“I have not yet seen any policy alternative that fulfills the three major goals of congestion pricing: generating $1 billion per year in bondable revenue, reducing vehicle emissions and their associated climate and air quality-related impacts, and reducing traffic congestion significantly. In 2025, the legislature and the Governor will need to negotiate the next five-year MTA capital plan, likely to be at least $60 billion. Failure to implement Congestion Pricing adds another $15 billion to that price tag, plus the loss of over $10 billion from the federal government. I have strong doubts that the Governor’s hypothetical plan will come up with $85 billion for the MTA capital plan for the next 5 years, while reducing congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions in Manhattan without triggering a new federal environmental review process, and I continue to call for the timely implementation of congestion pricing, a policy I have supported for over ten years. There is no realistic alternative.”
Emergency Without Urgency
When government invokes the word “emergency,” normal process changes. Timelines accelerate. Environmental review can narrow. Procurement pathways can shift.
