to replenish the mail-service fleet with electric vehicles and has drawn sharp criticism from the Biden administration, Democratic lawmakers and environmentalists, who say it falls far short of President Joe Biden’s goals to address climate change.
The Environmental Protection Agency, the White House Council on Environmental Quality and “numerous environmental stakeholders” have raised concerns that the Postal Service did not meet its NEPA obligations in issuing the contract, the lawmakers said in a letter to Tammy Whitcomb, the Postal Service inspector general.
The lawmakers said they strongly support purchase of electric vehicles for the Postal Service fleet, saying it would “significantly cut emissions and position the Postal Service as an environmental leader” in the U.S.The Postal Service awarded Oshkosh Defense a contract worth up to $11 billion over 10 years to replace its 230,00-vehicle fleet. The company has said it will make the Next Generation Delivery Vehicles at a reconfigured warehouse in South Carolina, creating 1,000 new jobs.
The new contract will deliver 5,000 electric vehicles beginning in 2023 and “provides significant environmental benefits through the introduction of safer and more environmentally friendly vehicles,’’ Frum said. Flexibility built into the contract allows for more electric vehicles “should additional funding become available,’’ she added.