Latest news with #TrafficMobilityAct
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal judge blocks Trump administration efforts to stop NYC congestion pricing
NEW YORK — A Manhattan federal judge has blocked the federal government from ending congestion pricing before the end of an ongoing lawsuit — issuing a preliminary injunction against Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday. The order, issued by Judge Lewis Liman, comes one day after he issued a temporary restraining order in the case, blocking any such action for two weeks. The injunction indefinitely prevents Duffy or his agency from acting on their claims that they can unilaterally revoke an authorization toll — and blocks any of the so-called 'compliance actions' Duffy has threatened — until Liman rules on the legality of USDOT's efforts to end the congestion pricing program. 'For the avoidance of doubt, (Duffy and the USDOT) are enjoined from taking any of the'compliance measures' ... including withholding federal funds, approvals, or authorizations from New York state or local agencies to enforce compliance with or implement .. (their) purported termination of the Tolling Program,' the 109-page order concludes. Speaking to reporters shortly after the order was filed Paige Graves, MTA's general counsel, said she hadn't yet read the injunction in full. 'I have not looked at the details of his decision, but it's positive news,' Graves said. The congestion toll first began in January — a requirement of New York state's 2019 Traffic Mobility Act, meant to both reduce congestion and back $15 billion in bonds toward specific MTA projects. Duffy first claimed the authority to unilaterally end the toll weeks later, in February. When the MTA sued, Duffy gave Gov. Kathy Hochul a March 21 deadline to end the toll. Duffy then extended the deadline to April 20, then to May 21. As the toll remained in place on May 21, Duffy — in a letter to Hochul — threatened to withhold federal funds for any highway project in Manhattan, refuse to approve Manhattan projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, and refuse to greenlight any funding amendments from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council — unless Hochul ended the toll. In issuing Tuesday's restraining order, Liman said New York stood to suffer irreparable harms from the feds' demands, including the 'delay of numerous public works projects,' 'harm to the bond market' and the 'undermining (of) the authority of a sovereign state' that had democratically passed the law requiring the toll. _____
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal judge blocks Trump administration efforts to stop congestion pricing
A Manhattan federal judge has blocked the federal government from ending congestion pricing before the end of an ongoing lawsuit — issuing a preliminary injunction against Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday. The order, issued by Judge Lewis Liman, comes one day after he issued a temporary restraining order in the case, blocking any such action for two weeks. The injunction indefinitely prevents Duffy or his agency from acting on their claims that they can unilaterally revoke authorization toll — and blocks any of the so-called 'compliance actions' Duffy has threatened — until Liman rules on the legality of USDOT's efforts to end the congestion pricing program. 'For the avoidance of doubt, [Duffy and the USDOT] are enjoined from taking any of the 'compliance measures' … including withholding federal funds, approvals, or authorizations from New York state or local agencies to enforce compliance with or implement … [their] purported termination of the Tolling Program,' the 109-page order concludes. Speaking to reporters shortly after the order was filed Paige Graves, MTA's general counsel, said she hadn't yet read the injunction in full. 'I have not looked at the details of his decision, but it's positive news,' Graves said. The congestion toll first began in January — a requirement of New York State's 2019 Traffic Mobility Act, meant to both reduce congestion and back $15 billion in bonds toward specific MTA projects. Duffy first claimed the authority to unilaterally end the toll weeks later, in February. When the MTA sued, Duffy gave Gov. Hochul a March 21 deadline to end the toll. Duffy then extended the deadline to April 20, then to May 21. As the toll remained in place on May 21, Duffy — in a letter to Hochul — threatened to withhold federal funds for any highway project in Manhattan, refuse to approve Manhattan projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, and refuse to greenlight any funding amendments from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council — unless Hochul ended the toll. In issuing Tuesday's restraining order, Liman said New York stood to suffer irreparable harms from the feds' demands, including the 'delay of numerous public works projects,' 'harm to the bond market' and the 'undermining [of] the authority of a sovereign state' that had democratically passed the law requiring the toll.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Another Trump NYC congestion pricing deadline passes with MTA tolling intact
Congestion pricing remained in effect Wednesday, in defiance of another deadline from Trump's Department of Transportation and ongoing federal threats to defund New York City area transit and transportation projects should New York not walk walk back the toll. Wednesday was the latest of three deadlines laid out by U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has demanded that New York stop tolling drivers who enter Midtown and lower Manhattan — a toll required in order to fund MTA capital projects under a 2019 state law. The MTA is currently litigating the matter in Manhattan Federal Court, where transit officials have argued that the federal demands to change state policy are unconstitutional. A source close to Gov. Hochul Wednesday said the governor would soon be informing the feds that, absent a court order to the contrary, the toll would remain in place. The brinksmanship — with Hochul repeatedly saying the toll will stay as Duffy repeatedly threatens the Empire State's funding — has marked a three-month showdown between state and federal power over whether the state of New York can enforce it's own democratically decided transportation policies. Last month — when his second deadline expired — Duffy said he was 'giving New York one last chance to turn back or prove their actions are not illegal,' setting a deadline for Wednesday. Past that, he said, his department would not authorize federal funds for any highway project in Manhattan, would refuse to approve Manhattan projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, and would refuse to greenlight any funding amendments from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council — unless any of those projects involve safety. Should New York's 'noncompliance' continue, he went on, he'll defund projects citywide. The MTA gets approximately $2.5 billion in federal dollars each year, almost entirely as reimbursements through federal formula grants, though Duffy's April threat indicated other agencies — such as the city and state departments of transportation — could lose funding as well. Previous deadlines were accompanied by an eleventh-hour extension and an admonishment from Duffy that there would be consequences for New York should it keep the toll in place. No such statements had been made as of Wednesday afternoon, neither by Duffy nor USDOT's press team. A USDOT spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Duffy first claimed to be able to end the toll by revoking an already-granted federal authorization in February, weeks after New York began tolling drivers in an implementation of the state's 2019 Traffic Mobility Act, which required the toll as a means of funding a specific list of MTA transit projects. The MTA promptly sued, calling the revocation unconstitutional. In response, Duffy set a March 21 deadline for ending the toll before extending the deadline to April 20, then to May 21.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Deadline for NY to end congestion pricing moved back again by Trump transportation secretary Sean Duffy
Trump's Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued another round of funding threats against New York state Monday — while once again rollling back a supposed deadline for the end of congestion pricing. In a letter to Gov. Hochul Monday, Duffy set his third in a row of seemingly toothless deadlines, telling the state to end the congestion toll by May 21. 'The federal government sends billions to New York — but we won't foot the bill if Governor Hochul continues to implement an illegal toll to backfill the budget of New York's failing transit system,' Duffy said. 'We are giving New York one last chance to turn back or prove their actions are not illegal.' If the toll persists beyond May 21, Duffy said, his department will not authorize federal funds for any highway project in Manhattan, will refuse to approve Manhattan projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, and will refuse to greenlight any funding amendments from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council — unless any of those projects involve safety. Should New York's 'noncompliance' continue, he threatened, they'll defund projects citywide. The threats come as the latest swipe in a showdown about federal authority over the state law — specifically New York's congestion pricing law, which Duffy continues to assert he can end. Duffy first claimed to be able to revoke an already-granted federal authorization in February, weeks after New York began tolling drivers who entered Midtown and lower Manhattan in an implementation of the state's 2019 Traffic Mobility Act, which required the toll as a means of funding a specific list of MTA transit projects. The MTA promptly sued, calling the revocation unconstitutional. Hochul agreed, likened Trump to a king, and said the toll would remain in effect absent a court order. In response, Duffy set a March 21 deadline for ending the toll. The transportation secretary then extended the deadline to April 20, before extending it again on Monday to May 21. Meanwhile, the MTA's suit over the constitutionality of Duffy's order continues to work its way through Manhattan federal court, where lawyers for the feds said earlier this month they are 'still evaluating what DOT's options are' should New York keep the toll in place. Duffy has called the toll — which charges most drivers $9 once a day to enter the congestion zone — 'class warfare.' While he acknowledged in his letter to Hochul that federal law allows tolls 'to be used for transit projects,' he added 'it is unconscionable as a matter of policy that highway users are being forced to bail out the MTA transit system.'
