NYC CONGESTION PRICING PLAN DIES, SENATOR MENENDEZ REACTS

April 7, 2008

CONTACT: Afshin Mohamadi, 202-224-4744

This weekend, Sen. Menendez called upon Mayor Bloomberg and
the Federal Highway Administration to eliminate special NJ surcharge

Washington–U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) made the following statement today upon the announcement that the New York City congestion pricing plan died in the New York State Assembly:

"I certainly hope this is the end of the effort to squeeze the people of our state. Somehow, a plan to reduce congestion on the roads became a plan to make an extra buck off of New Jersey, and that is neither fair nor legal. Reducing traffic, cleaning our air and getting commuters to use mass transit are tremendously important goals we all should work toward, but unfairly burdening the drivers of one state in particular is not how to go about it. I look forward to working with other leaders in the region to find more sensible and balanced ways to achieve these goals."

This weekend, the Senator urged Bloomberg and the federal government to reconsider their support for the revised congestion pricing plan, which would have made drivers specifically from New Jersey pay an extra $3. Senator Menendez wrote Bloomberg to highlight the inequities for New Jerseyans under the plan and make the case that it is unconstitutional. In addition, Senator Menendez wrote the Federal Highway Administration to request that New York be denied federal funding linked to the congestion-pricing plan.

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