Gov. Murphy, Hochul united on climate change initiatives; still differ on congestion pricing

Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul were side-by-side in Manhattan on Wednesday to unveil new measures to counter climate change.
“We’re going big. My philosophy is, ‘Go big or go home.’ But I’m never going home,” Hochul said.
All New York state operations will be powered by renewable energy within just eight years.
“I’m making the commitment right now,” she said.
New Jersey will increase its goal for wind energy by half.
“This is an aggressive target, but it’s an achievable one,” Murphy said.
The governors met at the Javits Center to pledge that New York and New Jersey will work for a green energy future.
“We are truly the first generation that has felt the impact of climate change, and we're the last generation to be able to do anything about it,” Hochul said.
But while the governors are lockstep on climate change issues, they are still at odds on the topic of congestion pricing – an issue that could hit drivers entering Manhattan with a few of up to $23 starting next year.
“It's clearly an environmental initiative but it can't be executed on the back of folks who are already burdened with paying the price of commuting to the city,” Murphy said.
“We have to have an all-hands-on-deck, all-the-above approach to dealing with pollution that's generated by vehicles,” said Hochul.
Murphy suggests bringing in the feds for an environmental impact statement. This could delay the program, which is set to start next year.
“We start from a very, very constructive relationship and God willing we'll figure something out,” Murphy said.
Hochul added that any pollution generated in New York or New Jersey will find its way to the other state.
An executive order Murphy signed on Wednesday increased New Jersey’s goal to 11,000 megawatts from wind energy by 2040.