On Earth Day, Carper Presses USPS Nominees on Advancing Cleaner Fleet of Postal Vehicles

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), today during a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) hearing urged the three U.S. Postal Service (USPS) governor nominees to prioritize moving the postal fleet more aggressively towards electric-powered vehicles, and to share their thoughts on this matter with the committee in writing. 

“Perhaps the greatest challenge we face on our planet is climate change,” Carper said. “The greatest source of emissions, as far as greenhouse gases, is from our mobile sources. Almost every month we have announcements from major automakers in the United States and around the world, including Ford and GM regarding their intentions to move away from internal combustion vehicles and into alternative fueled vehicles.

“I understand that the Postal Service has engaged with a company, Oshgosh, of Oshgosh Wisconsin, to purchase up to 165,000 new vehicles, with vehicle rollout between 2023 and 2033. I understand the Postal Service plans for an initial order of 75,000 vehicles, 10 percent of which will be electric. So that would be 7,500 vehicles… but they need to order about 165,000 total. I also understand there may be a provision in the contract that may allow the Postal Service to say, ‘we’d like some of those vehicles to be electric.’

“I believe the Postal Service has a prime opportunity to take the lead in combating climate change, and that’s by moving away from combustion engine vehicles and the emissions they produce, and that’s by investing an electric fleet.”

Watch the full video by clicking HERE. 

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