Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s decision to order an 80% gas-powered postal delivery fleet continues to endanger the health of all Americans, and it ignores the economic benefits of electrification that the Postal Service’s competitors are taking advantage of.
The Zero Emission Transportation Association, our allies in Congress, and our coalition partners have long urged the Postal Service to electrify its fleet, reminding Postmaster DeJoy that his decision to not electrify the fleet directly subverts federal regulations and our international commitments—and President Biden’s executive order to electrify the federal fleet. We explained that Postal Service electrification could generate billions of dollars in cost savings for USPS, and it would prevent billions of dollars more in environmental and public health damages. Our findings about the economic, public health, and environmental benefits of electrification were recently corroborated in a report published by the Postal Service’s Inspector General. The Postal Service ignored these facts in the error-ridden environmental impact statement that it used to reject electrification.
We are pleased that the Postal Service’s Inspector General will investigate the Postal Service’s compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act throughout this procurement process.
While we note that our collective advocacy these past few months has convinced the Postal Service to double its originally proposed order for electric vehicles, it remains true that electrifying merely 20% of the postal delivery fleet is insufficient.
With foreign-controlled gasoline prices surging and our climate at “code red” status, now is not the time for backward-looking decisions. Practical electric vehicle technology is more capable and widely accessible than ever, especially in the aftermath of the sweeping EV investments in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Furthermore, Congress just passed a historic reform bill that will deliver nearly $50 billion in savings to the Postal Service.
We will continue to advocate for a fully electrified postal delivery fleet in the coming weeks and months.
