Morris Leader

Sherrill Leads NJ Congressional Delegation Members in Calling on NY Governor to Cancel Congestion Pricing Plan

Parsippany, NJ— Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), alongside a bipartisan group of New Jersey Members of Congress, called on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to cancel the pending implementation of New York City’s congestion pricing plan, which will impose significant new costs on New Jersey commuters and families.

“New York's congestion pricing plan is currently an unfair hit against New Jersey families that will double tax the almost 400,000 New Jersey residents who work in New York City and contribute immensely to the city’s economy. New Jersey commuters already pay a $17 toll when they cross the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, almost double the toll paid on the bridges connecting Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. As a result, this congestion price would uniquely double tax New Jerseyans and result in our constituents paying upwards of $40 just to get to work every day. At a time when families across the Northeast are already dealing with rising prices and high costs of living, this added tax on simply getting to work is unacceptable,” wrote the NJ lawmakers. 

“We look forward to staying engaged on this issue… and urge you to work with Governor Murphy and NJ Transit on new strategies to combat congestion and emissions in our communities that don’t involve increasing the cost of living for families,” they continued. 

“Residing in Essex County is attractive for people who commute to work in New York City because of our close proximity. Although there are many mass transportation options available, some who conduct their business in the city still rely on driving cars or trucks at what are considered peak times. Penalizing Essex County residents with significantly higher tolls is unfair and would be detrimental to the vitality of our municipalities,” said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.

This letter is co-signed by Reps. Thomas H. Kean, Jr., Frank Pallone, Jr., Bill Pascrell, Jr., Donald M. Payne, Jr., Jefferson Van Drew, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

Read the full letter here or full text is provided below:

Dear Governor Hochul,

We represent the hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans who commute to work in New York City each day and collectively contribute $3.1 billion in New York income taxes each year. While we were encouraged by last year’s cooperation between New Jersey and New York in signing a funding agreement for the first phase of the crucial Gateway Tunnel Project, we are greatly concerned with New York City’s planned congestion pricing plan and the negative impact it will have on New Jersey families. We strongly oppose the planned implementation of this tax and urge you to work with Governor Murphy and NJ Transit on new strategies to combat congestion and emissions in our communities that don’t involve increasing the cost of living for families, such as investments in the Northeast region’s passenger rail network.

New York's congestion pricing plan is currently an unfair hit against New Jersey families that will double tax the almost 400,000 New Jersey residents who work in New York City and contribute immensely to the city’s economy. New Jersey commuters already pay a $17 toll when they cross the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, almost double the toll paid on the bridges connecting Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. As a result, this congestion price would uniquely double tax New Jerseyans and result in our constituents paying upwards of $40 just to get to work every day. At a time when families across the Northeast are already dealing with rising prices and high costs of living, this added tax on simply getting to work is unacceptable. 

Even worse, the congestion pricing plan will tax New Jerseyans while simultaneously providing no revenue for our public transit network. We agree that additional funding for passenger rail projects and maintenance is crucial to addressing congestion and pollution in our communities, which makes the plan’s omission of NJ Transit from any revenue sharing difficult to explain. Instead, revenue from the congestion pricing will exclusively go towards New York’s MTA, even though a significant part of that revenue will come from New Jersey commuters.

Members of Congress from New Jersey and New York have strongly focused on reducing costs of living and improving affordability for our constituents over the past three years through a number of bipartisan pieces of legislation enacted into law. New York’s congestion pricing plan represents a major step backwards in this fight, and will impose burdensome new costs onto families trying to make ends meet. In particular, it is unacceptable to impose large new taxes uniquely onto New Jersey residents who are already contributing greatly to New York’s economy and tax base. 

We look forward to staying engaged on this issue and strongly urge you to cancel New York’s pending implementation of this congestion pricing plan. Instead, we ask that you come to the table with Governor Murphy and NJ Transit to develop new plans to re-invest in affordable public transit options in our region. 

Original source can be found here