WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, it was announced that the United States House of Representatives’ Oversight and Reform Committee will investigate the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) $11.3 billion plan to purchase mostly inefficient, gas-powered mail delivery trucks to replace its outdated fleet. The Committee ordered the mail agency to turn over confidential records on their environmental impact and costs.

In response, Joe Britton, Executive Director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), released the following statement: 

“This announcement is a great victory for government transparency, public health, and the American taxpayer. We’ve long held that the Postal Service’s decision to procure an overwhelmingly gas-powered fleet would leave Americans worse off, but the decision has gone even further off the rails in selecting a vehicle that is nearly as inefficient as the 1988 models they are replacing.  

“USPS has routinely either ignored, or cooked the books, to obscure the crucial cost savings and societal benefits that electrification will bring. We fully support the Committee’s decision to investigate USPS and we look forward to their findings, because the Postal Service’s process, analysis, and judgment has been a disservice to the American people at every stage of this contract.

“We strongly believe that if the Postal Service used real data and followed all the appropriate procedures and analysis required under the National Environmental Policy Act, it would have come to a different conclusion—one that more closely reflects the efficiency gains being achieved by their competitors.”

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