A New York court will soon consider whether Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to scuttle congestion pricing for Manhattan drivers runs afoul of voters’ intent to enshrine environmental protections in the state constitution.
Hochul’s last-minute decision in June to block the long-planned pricing system — billed as a way to reduce gridlock and climate pollution while providing a lifeline to New York City’s transit system — sparked a pair of lawsuits that the New York Supreme Court may hear as soon as this month.
One of those lawsuits, filed by Earthjustice on behalf of transit riders and environmental groups, argues that the decision by Hochul undermines both New York’s climate law and the state’s “green amendment” to its Constitution.
“The fumes emitted by the nearly one million vehicles that enter Manhattan’s Central Business District each day are making the city’s residents sick, harming the city’s economy and quality of life, and exacerbating the climate crisis,” the lawsuit says.
