A federal court judge in Manhattan has ruled the U.S. Department of Transportation has no authority to stop the New York City congestion pricing program for cars, trucks, and buses. The 149-page opinion denied claims made by DOT that the program violated several federal statutes.

The City claims in the program’s first year, the congestion pricing program raised $468 million for the Metropolitan Transit Authority, led to an 11 percent drop in vehicle entries and a 4.6 percent improvement in vehicle speeds. Greenhouse gas emissions decreased 6.1 percent in the congestion pricing zone in Manhattan below 60th Street.

The NYC program is the first congestion pricing program in the country, and this court ruling is likely to encourage other jurisdictions to adopt similar measures.