NEW JERSEY – U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) and local leaders rallied Thursday after a federal judge ruled that New York failed to protect New Jersey residents from the disastrous health impacts of their Congestion Tax.
The MTA’s Congestion Tax will be a new Lung Tax on Jersey families and children, Gottheimer said.
Serious Health Impacts of the Congestion Tax
- The MTA’s own reports show their Congestion Tax would change traffic patterns, forcing more trucks — and with them, more cancer-causing pollution — onto the GW Bridge and surrounding areas.
- This will mean more noxious pollutants like carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide, and carcinogens like formaldehyde, would plume into the lungs of Northern New Jersey
- Earlier this week, a federal judge agreed that the MTA and the Federal Highway Administration “…fail[ed] to provide a rational connection between the general mitigation commitments outlined and the specific resolution of any and all significant impacts that may result from the Program, whether those impacts are in New York or New Jersey.”
- Furthermore, the judge said that “the lack of specificity as to mitigation for some of these communities warrants further explanation, and if appropriate, reconsideration.”
- The MTA set aside $125 million for the Bronx, for air filtration units near schools and an asthma treatment program, but nothing for New Jersey
According to Gottheimer, the MTA is mismanaged:
- In 2023, the MTA lost $700 million on fare skippers, and spent tens of millions on a new intercom system that doesn’t work.
- $700,000 on gates that fail to stop skippers.
- $1 billion to expand the 2nd Ave subway stations twice as large as experts say is needed.
- $5 million on workers to look for fires at the bus depot because the sprinklers don’t work.
“New York’s plan to fix congestion is to give more of it to children in Jersey, by sending more smog into our homes and neighborhoods. This new Lung Tax will cost Jersey children and families more money to breathe worse air, punishing our lungs and wallets at the same time,” Gottheimer said. “Whether it’s today, tomorrow, through the incoming administration, or new legislation I plan to introduce in Washington, let me be clear to New York — we stopped your Congestion Tax once, and we’ll stop it again.”
Gottheimer was joined by New Jersey Assemblymembers Lisa Swain, Shama Haider, and Gary Schaer, Bergen County Commissioner Tom Sullivan, Port Authority Lieutenants Benevolent Association Frank Conti, Port Authority Sergeant Benevolent Association Al Faraday, Bergen County Central Trades and Labor Council Mike Schneider, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Tom Bracken, And Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce Jim Kirkos and Ron Simoncini.
