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this US Postal Service He said on Wednesday that despite feedback from the Environmental Protection Agency, it has lifted the final regulatory hurdle to place orders for the next generation of postal vehicles and have some on their way to delivery next year.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said completing an assessment required by the National Environmental Policy Act was a major milestone for enlisted mail carriers with overworked delivery trucks that entered service between 1987 and 1994.
this US Postal Service‘s fleet consists of more than 230,000 vehicles, including 190,000 local delivery vehicles in need of replacement.
“Men and women US Postal Service DeJoy said in a statement that they’ve been waiting long enough for safer, cleaner vehicles.
Environmental groups backed off as only 10% of vehicles would be powered by electricity under a Postal Service contract with Wisconsin-based manufacturer Oshkosh Defense.
Postal Service spokesman Kim Frum said the decision, published in the Federal Register, allows the Postal Service to continue placing an initial order, which will include at least 5,000 electric vehicles and an unspecified number of gas-powered vehicles.
The Postal Service believes it has met all its obligations and is moving forward despite the Environmental Protection Agency’s request to conduct another environmental review that looks at long-term costs. Democratic Senator Tom Carper of Delaware, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said this month that it would be “unwise” to move forward based on a “fundamentally flawed analysis.”
“Neither rain, sleet, or financial sense can stop the world’s leaders. US Postal Service Patricio Portillo of the Natural Resources Defense Council said Wednesday that he is giving up on trying to buy dirty, polluting delivery trucks.
But DeJoy, an ally of former President Donald Trump, said more electric vehicles could be purchased under the contract if “additional funding is available from internal or congressional sources.”
Converting the entire Postal Service fleet to electric vehicles will cost an additional $3.3 billion. Money was included in Biden’s Build Back Better plan, but that proposal was stalled in Congress.
Newer vehicles are more environmentally friendly and feature modern amenities such as climate control and safety features such as airbags, backup cameras and collision avoidance – all currently missing from aging Grumman Longevity Vehicles.
Also, vehicles are longer to make it easier for postal carriers to receive packages and parcels that make up a much larger portion of their deliveries, even before the pandemic.
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Sharp reported from Portland, Maine. Associated Press writer Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report.
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