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WASHINGTON — A group of House Democrats on Monday called for an investigation into Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s decision Purchase up to 165,000 petrol-powered mail trucks Over the Biden administration’s objections that the multibillion-dollar contract would undermine the country’s climate goals.

The contract, worth up to $6 billion over 10 years, will be the Postal Service’s first large-scale vehicle purchase in three decades.

In a letter to United States Postal Service Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb, lawmakers questioned whether the Postal Service was complying with a law requiring environmental reviews of major federal actions.

Both Environmental Protection Agency and White House Environmental Quality Council They said the Postal Service made the wrong decision to purchase the gasoline-powered trucks based on an inaccurate environmental analysis.

The Postal Service estimated that the new vehicles would get 29.9 miles per gallon. A separate analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency found that vehicles can achieve less than half that: just 14.7 miles per gallon. The EPA said the new trucks will only get 8.6 miles per gallon when the air conditioning is running.

The EPA said the review did not consider any viable alternatives to gas-powered vehicles and issued a contract for the vehicles before the Postal Service completed its inspection of the defects.

Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and other Democrats on the panel asked Ms. Whitcomb to determine whether the Postal Service was making “false or unproven assumptions” about the environmental impact of internal combustion engine vehicles, including underestimating its greenhouses. gas emissions.

“Post vehicles serve a public purpose – helping to deliver mail six days a week in the United States – and must do so in an environmentally responsible manner,” the lawmakers said.

President Biden has ordered all federal agencies to phase out the purchase of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 and purchase only zero-emission cars and trucks as part of his agenda to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels and combat climate change. However, the Postal Service is an independent institution that does not depend on the climate rules of the administration.

The Postal Service has more than 231,000 vehicles, one of the largest civilian fleets in the world. Distinctive white, red, and blue trucks travel the country from cramped cities to quiet rural towns. An all-electric fleet would not only deliver environmental benefits and help an emerging manufacturing sector, but also serve as a powerful symbol of management committed to accelerating the transition from fossil fuels.

The Postal Service argued that it could not afford an all-electric fleet and that 10 percent of the new trucks would be electric and 90 percent gasoline.

Post Service spokesperson Sue Brennan said in a statement that the agency is committed to electrifying its fleet and will continue to purchase additional electric vehicles as its financial situation improves.

Biden’s most important legislative agenda, the Build Back Better Act, includes nearly $6 billion to help the Postal Service pay for electric vehicles and charging stations. This bill was stopped in Congress.

Environmental groups and other government agencies called the Postal Service’s decision flawed, saying it was based on unrealistic assumptions — like $2.19 per gallon of gasoline. This is well below the average gas price of $4.33 Americans paid after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but also much lower than the average pump price before the war.

Congress approved the $107 billion financial overhaul of the Postal Service earlier this month and is now awaiting Mr Biden’s signature. Neither the House nor the Senate version, both of which were passed with broad bipartisan support, contained changes to the agency’s truck contract that would have required a change.