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Commercial truck drivers have joined the long list of opponents who’ve filed lawsuits to block the controversial first-in-nation congestion toll to enter parts of Manhattan.

The Trucking Association of New York (TANY) slammed the congestion pricing program as unconstitutional and a “scheme for which there is no prior precedent in this country” in a suit filed Thursday against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the state in Manhattan federal court.

Motorists would pay a $15 toll to enter Manhattan’s business district south of 60th Street — but truckers would pay $24 to $36 depending on the size of their vehicle.

Barring judicial intervention, the MTA plans to impose the new toll on June 30.

TANY claims congestion pricing violates the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution granting Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce.

The lawsuit argues the high toll “imposes a financial burden which is excessive.”

“The congestion pricing policy unfairly targets trucking and logistics companies, which are charged far higher rates than passenger vehicles,” the Trucking Association said in a statement.

“TANY and its members are not fundamentally opposed to congestion pricing. TANY is fighting to overturn the current version of this plan and hopes to improve the plan to reduce its adverse impacts and introduce parity for the logistics industry.”

The trucking group said “potential fixes” include a complete toll exemption for essential industries, a once-a-day limit on tolls levied against trucks, or a “middle ground approach that would introduce pricing parity between trucks and passenger vehicles.

The trucker’s litigation follows lawsuits filed by Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella and the United Federation of Teachers, lower Manhattan residents and small business, and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

Oral arguments were recently heard in the New York court cases.

The MTA declined comment on the truckers’ suit.

But the pro-transit Congestion Pricing Now coalition said, The lawsuit being brought by the Trucking Association of New York in the eleventh hour completely ignores the facts.”

“Trucks disproportionately impact traffic congestion and air pollution, justifying higher tolls. Charging trucks more on tolls is common practice that reflects their greater infrastructure and environmental costs.”

Thegroup noted that truckers, like motorists, will pay significantly less withdiscountedtolls during off-peak deliveries.

“Ensuring faster delivery times for business owners and reducing daytime congestion, a win for businesses, for truck drivers and New York residents. 

Congestion pricing is being implemented because of a state law championed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Democrat-controlled legislature in 2019, and the toll has been championed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to curb congestion and pollution in Midtown, while generating revenue to boost mass transit.

The MTA said the new tolling will generate $1 billion annually to pay for new subway trains, signal overhauls, a new expansion of the Second Avenue subway into East Harlem and other major projects, while reducing Midtown congestion.

Critics argue the toll will divert traffic and pollution elsewhere and pick motorists and businesses’ wallets and turn over their dollars over to a much-maligned agency with a documented record of massive overspending on capital projects compared to other large transit systems across the globe.

A recent poll found New York voters across the board overwhelmingly oppose the new congestion toll.

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Jets’ Scheifele misses G7 because of injury

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Jets' Scheifele misses G7 because of injury

Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele did not play in Game 7 of the Jets’ first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday due to an undisclosed injury, coach Scott Arniel said.

Arniel ruled out Scheifele following the team’s morning skate. He was hurt in Game 5 — playing only 8:05 in the first period before exiting — and then did not travel with the Jets to St. Louis for Game 6. Arniel previously had said Scheifele was a game-time decision for Game 7.

Scheifele, 32, skated in a track suit Saturday, and Arniel told reporters the veteran was feeling better than he had the day before. Scheifele, however, was not able to participate in the Jets’ on-ice session by Sunday, quickly indicating he would not be available for the game.

Winnipeg held a 2-0 lead in the series over St. Louis before the Blues stormed back with a pair of wins to tie it, 2-2. The home team has won each game in the best-of-seven series so far.

The Jets’ challenge in closing out St. Louis only increases without Scheifele. Winnipeg already has been dealing with the uneven play of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, a significant storyline in the series to date. Hellebuyck was pulled in all three of his starts at St. Louis while giving up a combined 16 goals on 66 shots (.758 SV%). In Game 6, Hellebuyck allowed four goals in only 5 minutes, 23 seconds of the second period.

Hellebuyck was Winnipeg’s backbone during the regular season, earning a Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy nomination for his impeccable year (.925 SV%, 2.00 GAA).

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Stars expect Robertson, Heiskanen back in semis

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Stars expect Robertson, Heiskanen back in semis

Stars coach Pete DeBoer expects to have leading goal scorer Jason Robertson and standout defenseman Miro Heiskanen available in the Western Conference semifinals after both missed Dallas’ first-round series win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Following their thrilling Game 7 comeback victory over the Avalanche on Saturday night, the Stars await the winner of Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues. If the Blues win, the Stars will have home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series.

“I believe you’re going to see them both play in the second round, but I don’t know if it’s going to be Game 1 or Game 3 or Game 5,” DeBoer said after Saturday’s series clincher. “I consider them both day-to-day now, but there’s still some hurdles. It depends on when we start the series, how much time we have between now and Game 1. We’ll have a little better idea as we get closer.”

Robertson, 25, who posted 80 points (35 goals, 45 assists) in 82 games this season, suffered a lower-body injury in the regular-season finale April 16 and was considered week-to-week at the time.

Heiskanen hasn’t played since injuring his left knee in a Jan. 28 collision with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone. Initially expected to miss three to four months, the 25-year-old defenseman had surgery Feb. 4 and sat out the final 32 games of the regular season. In 50 games, he collected 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) and averaged 25:10 of ice time, which ranked fifth among NHL blueliners.

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U.S. crude oil prices fall more than 4% after OPEC+ agrees to surge production in June

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U.S. crude oil prices fall more than 4% after OPEC+ agrees to surge production in June

Logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Andrey Rudakov | Bloomberg | Getty Images

U.S. crude oil futures fell more than 4% on Sunday, after OPEC+ agreed to surge production for a second month.

U.S. crude was down $2.49, or 4.27%, to $55.80 a barrel shortly after trading opened. Global benchmark Brent fell $2.39, or 3.9%, to $58.90 per barrel. Oil prices have fallen more than 20% this year.

The eight producers in the group, led by Saudi Arabia, agreed on Saturday to increase output by another 411,000 barrels per day in June. The decision comes a month after OPEC+ surprised the market by agreeing to surge production in May by the same amount.

The June production hike is nearly triple the 140,000 bpd that Goldman Sachs had originally forecast. OPEC+ is bringing more than 800,000 bpd of additional supply to the market over the course of two months.

Oil prices in April posted the biggest monthly loss since 2021, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have raised fears of a recession that will slow demand at the same time that OPEC+ is quickly increasing supply.

Oilfield service firms such as Baker Hughes and SLB are expecting investment in exploration and production to decline this year due to the weak price environment.

“The prospects of an oversupplied oil market, rising tariffs, uncertainty in Mexico and activity weakness in Saudi Arabia are collectively constraining international upstream spending levels,” Baker Hughes CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said on the company’s first-quarter earnings call on April 25.

Oil majors Chevron and Exxon reported first-quarter earnings last week that fell compared to the same period in 2024 due to lower oil prices.

Goldman is forecasting that U.S. crude and Brent prices will average $59 and $63 per barrel, respectively, this year.

Catch up on the latest energy news from CNBC Pro:

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