NEW YORK, NY June 15, 2007 —A group of elected officials from the Bronx and Upper Manhattan have endorsed PlaNYC. Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion and Assembly Member Jose Rivera joined labor and business leaders at the Bronx County Courthouse today to announce their support for the 127 Initiatives that Mayor Bloomberg laid out on Earth Day.

Last December, the mayor challenged New Yorkers to generate ideas for achieving ten key environmental goals for the city’s future between now and 2030.

PlaNYC includes the mayor's proposal to charge vehicles to enter parts of Manhattan during peak hours. State Assembly members questioned the mayor about that proposal in a session at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Meanwhile, a new problem has come up for congestion pricing. The mayor has been trying to win quick approval from the state Legislature and Governor Spitzer for the proposal. One enticement has been the possibility of up to $500 million in federal aid to help fund mass transit improvements.

But now, an Oregon congressman who chairs the House's Subcommittee on Highways and Transit has written a letter to New York officials, saying he has serious doubts about whether the program would be eligible for federal funding.