Two months after the Legislature sidestepped a vote on a congestion pricing proposal for New York City, Gov. David Paterson [1] on Tuesday named the 13 members of the new Commission on Metropolitan Transportation Authority Financing.

There is an enormous gap between the MTA's capital plans and its current revenue stream.The commission will recommend strategies to fund MTA [2] capital projects and operating needs over the next 10 years. The MTA is already under significant financial pressure as it expands its system and rebuilds its core infrastructure to provide the additional capacity needed to allow the New York metro region to grow.

The commission will include experts on transportation and finance, and will be chaired by Richard Ravitch [3], a former chairman of the MTA and a New York City business leader. The commission will submit its report to the governor and legislative leaders by Dec. 5.