U.S. House Democrats seek new environmental review of postal delivery contract
By
House Oversight and Reform chair
USPS in March placed an initial
USPS expects vehicles will begin appearing on carrier routes in late 2023. The modern vehicles will replace many 30-year-old vehicles without airbags or other safety features.
Postmaster General
USPS expects to receive about 5,000 next-generation vehicles in 2023 - and about 21,000 a year after that.
DeJoy called the order "a slam dunk", given USPS's urgent vehicle needs. "I have people out there that have trucks that are dangerous," DeJoy said.
He said in the near-term USPS needs gas-powered vehicles and said the purchase was "a very, very logical decision based on our math for our business."
"But we're in an illogical environment."
DeJoy reiterated he is open to buying more EVs if Congress gave him new funding.
"My job is the United States Postal Service - it's the not the EPA," DeJoy said. "We're going to be around for another 250 years - and we'll be a green environment at some point along that journey."
Last month, 16 states, environmental groups and the United
Auto Workers filed suit seeking to block the service's delivery
vehicle plan, arguing it failed to comply with environmental
regulations. In response, USPS said it "conducted a robust and
thorough review and fully complied with all of our obligations."
(Reporting by