New York remains to be “on discover” to finish congestion pricing in two weeks, federal attorneys mentioned Wednesday – however it’s unclear what the Trump administration would do if the deadline is ignored.
An legal professional for the administration doubled down on the April deadline on the first pretrial convention in a lawsuit between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and federal authorities over the controversial $9 toll to enter Midtown Manhattan.
“The Division of Transportation maintains the place that New York Metropolis ought to cease charging tolls by April 20,” mentioned assistant US legal professional Dominika Tarczynska.
What occurs if the congestion cameras are nonetheless lively and accumulating tolls after April 20 is at Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s discretion, and Tarczynska mentioned that might imply something — or probably nothing.
“The secretary, nevertheless, remains to be evaluating what [the Department of Transportation’s] choices are if New York Metropolis doesn’t comply, and there was no remaining resolution as to what, if something, will happen on April 20,” Tarczynska advised federal choose Lewis J. Liman on Wednesday within the distant listening to.
That remark — plus a fuming social media publish from a “fast response” DOT social media account on Tuesday — places to relaxation widespread stories {that a} proposed trial schedule constituted a deal between New York and the Trump administration on the tolling program.
Within the April 4 joint letter submitted by all events within the swimsuit, the US attorneys mentioned they didn’t have plans “at current” to submit any preliminary motions to halt this system.
Whereas the trial schedule may drag the trial till October, there was no express settlement within the letter concerning this system remaining in place, nor did the feds comply with withhold injunctive actions in courtroom.
The MTA’s legal professional, Roberta Ann Kaplan, mentioned that except the choose issued an order, the cameras will stay on.
“Congestion pricing is in impact,” she mentioned. “We imagine it’s working.”
After making the trial schedule official, the advised the attorneys how he was “wanting ahead to an expert expertise.”
President Trump had railed in opposition to congestion pricing on the marketing campaign path final yr earlier than the brand new program was rolled out in January in a revenue-generating transfer for the MTA that state officers mentioned would assist scale back congestion and increase public transportation within the crowded Massive Apple.
The Trump administration introduced it was retroactively rescinding federal approval for the plan, with Duffy setting a March 21 deadline for Gov. Kathy Hochul to deactivate the toll-collecting cameras.
However when the first deadline on March 21 got here and went, Duffy gave Hochul 30 extra days to conform.
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