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Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC NOW, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Thursday, February 20th. Here's The Midday News from Verónica Del Valle.

Verónica Del Valle: The youngest New Yorkers can now expect to live 81.5 years on average. That's the latest citywide life expectancy according to a new report from the City Health Department. The number has been steadily rising since dropping sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's also now just a year and a half below the city's goal of 83 years in life expectancy by 2030. But the report finds disparities by race with Asian New Yorkers having the highest average life expectancy and Black New Yorkers having the lowest. It says heart disease and cancer remain the leading causes of death across all groups.

Some Western Queens residents want fluoride removed from New York City's drinking water. Queens Community Board 1 includes Long Island City and Astoria. The board discussed the issue at this week's meeting. Antonella Di Saverio chairs the board's Environmental and Sanitation Committee. She proposed sending a letter urging officials to pressure the EPA.

Antonella Di Saverio: Why would we want to expose our kids if there is any risk of reduced IQ or any detriment to them?

Verónica Del Valle: The board ultimately tabled the discussion to a later date. Scientists have supported adding fluoride to water for decades to produce tooth decay, but some advocacy groups and politicians claim, without scientific consensus, that excessive fluoride consumption may lower children's IQ.

Now let's check in on the weather. Right now, it's 27 degrees and cloudy. Tonight, a 50/50 chance of snow showers after midnight, a low around 21 and pretty windy.

Up next, congestion pricing is in limbo again after President Trump's administration has taken steps to officially end the toll program, but Governor Kathy Hochul says, "Not so fast." More on that after the break.

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Verónica Del Valle: Congestion pricing is once again facing uncertainty. The tolling program began in January, charging drivers a $9 daytime fee to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, but on Wednesday, the Trump administration Transportation Department moved to shut it down. In doing so, the president made good on a campaign promise and the MTA immediately sued. Governor Hochul says she won't turn off the tolls and that she'll see Trump in court. My colleague Michael Hill spoke with Kathy Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, an organization that represents some of the city's most influential private businesses for her reaction.

Michael Hill: Congestion pricing launched, as we said, on January 5th. We've reported on some early improvements, but from your perspective, how has it transformed Manhattan?

Kathryn Wylde: From the standpoint of the business community, the productivity of New York's economy, its workforce, is the single biggest attraction to the city, and excess traffic congestion was costing us over $20 billion a year throughout the region-

Michael Hill: Wow.

Kathryn Wylde: -in lost productivity, lost time, extra fuel charges, and many other aspects of it. Environmental damage, obviously. So excess congestion was an economic challenge, a problem that congestion pricing was designed to solve, and it's working.

Michael Hill: The Trump administration is arguing that the fees are a cumbersome expense for drivers, and that's something even Governor Hochul cited at as an issue when she delayed the launch of congestion pricing last spring. After the election, she lowered the rate and tolling began. Do you agree that's a legitimate concern?

Kathryn Wylde: I think that it is a legitimate concern, but that the business community, including small businesses, have found that the efficiencies that they can achieve because of reduced traffic are saving them far more money than a $9 a day toll, or in the case of the small trucks, a $14 a day toll.

Michael Hill: What have you heard from the businesses you've talked to since yesterday and this legal battle began?

Kathryn Wylde: Well, I think that they're disappointed. We had hoped that the campaign rhetoric would not translate into action, so we're disappointed. We were very pleased that Governor Hochul was prepared to go to court immediately to reverse this. We think the grounds on which they apparently turned down the congestion pricing status are wrong. The grounds that they mentioned in their letter threatening to rescind, and of course, it hasn't been canceled yet. We still have congestion pricing operating.

But the grounds they cited was that the original program, part of the purpose of the program was not to raise funds for the MTA, and that's just not true. I negotiated back in 2007 and earlier with the then George W. Bush administration in Washington, which strongly supported this value-pricing project. This is a very repugnant Republican concept. That instead of paying taxes and getting nothing direct for it, switch to user fees where you know exactly the benefits that are associated with your payment.

Michael Hill: And so then what do you think is behind this? What about the federal government telling a state how to govern, how to run its business?

Kathryn Wylde: I think that, too. I think that that is the case that Governor Hochul is. Is making, is that we're a sovereign state and it's really none of their business. If they're telling the states that you're in charge of reproductive rights and other matters that they to take out of the hands of Washington, this is exactly the opposite. This is federal government overkill.

Michael Hill: As we said, the MTA is suing to continue toll drivers, but let's say the agency loses and congestion pricing becomes a quirky six-week memory. The MTA was going to use the tolls to pay for $15 billion in transit repairs. How would they replace that money?

Kathryn Wylde: It will be very difficult to replace that money. And keep in mind, this was for the capital plan, the five-year capital plan that ended last year. This year, the state legislature and the governor are going to be dealing with, "How do we find another $33 billion to deal with the next capital plan?" Without this funding from the tolls to support that five-year capital plan, taxes, fees and fares are going to go up even more.

Michael Hill: That's Kathy Wylde. She's the president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City. Kathy, as always, thanks for joining us and come back and see us again, please.

Kathryn Wylde: Thank you.

Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC NOW from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. See you this evening.

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