The Postal Service Governing Board claimed it was "largely unaware of tension around the environmental impacts of the trucks." Let's change that.

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Dear Friend,

In October, we called on you to comment on the United States Postal Service's Draft Environmental Impact Statement for its fleet replacement initiative. Nearly 20,000 Earthjustice supporters urged the Postal Service to up its ambition and aim for a close to 100% electric fleet rather than the 10% electric fleet it was planning for. We were optimistic the Postal Service would listen to us about the benefits of an electric fleet — cleaner air, lower emissions, and healthier communities — but it doubled down on its inexplicable preference for polluting trucks in the recently published Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). In fact, the Washington Post reported that “the Postal Service’s governing board was largely unaware of tension around the environmental impacts of the trucks.” It appears that the agency staff in charge of the environmental review did not share our frustration with the leaders in charge of the Postal Service.

We’re not alone in our confusion and disappointment with the agency’s insistence to move as slowly as possible towards progress. The Environmental Protection Agency had this to say about it: “While the Postal Service identified a clear need to update the existing Postal Fleet with more energy efficient vehicles, we do not believe a proper analysis was conducted that would support the Postal Service’s preferred alternative.” In other words, the evidence does not support the Postal Service's selection of polluting trucks that are barely more fuel-efficient than the trucks the agency purchased in the 1990s.

Rather than addressing that criticism, the Postal Service brushed it aside and moved on. It’s now clear that we must hold the Postal Service accountable for its harmful, low-quality work. Join us in telling Louis DeJoy and the Postal Service Governing Board that it must do its math again.

On such an important issue, we cannot let faulty analysis lead us to an outcome that threatens our future. Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the United States, and air pollution from fossil fuel vehicles harms people’s health, especially in low-income communities and communities of color where government policies have deliberately concentrated transportation pollution. By upgrading to electric vehicles, the Postal Service can cut dangerous air pollution across the country and help put us on a path to an all-electric future.

As of this week, the Postal Service’s bad analysis is actionable, which means it could start ordering gas-powered trucks soon, barring intervention by the Governing Board of the Postal Service. Time is not on our side, but we simply cannot afford to miss this opportunity to make sure one of the world’s largest civilian fleets is all-electric. Join us in calling on the Postal Service to reassess its replacement plans and work towards a zero-emissions future.

Sincerely,
Adrian Martinez
Senior Attorney

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