A postal employee rather a lot a supply truck on October 01, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott Olson | Getty Photographs
The Biden management on Wednesday tried to halt the U.S. Postal Provider’s plan to spend as much as $11.3 billion to switch its supply fleet with hundreds of gas-powered cars, arguing that the cars will irritate local weather exchange and public well being.
The EPA and the White Space Council on Environmental High quality, in a letter to the Postal Provider, prompt the Postal Provider to behavior an up to date and extra detailed technical research and grasp a public listening to on its plan.
The Postal Provider’s plan would blunt the president’s pledge to switch its federal fleet of 600,000 automobiles and vehicles to electrical energy and slash the federal government’s carbon emissions through 65% through 2030. The management has additionally dedicated to reducing U.S. greenhouse fuel emissions just about in part through the top of the last decade and transition the financial system to net-zero emissions through midcentury.
“The Postal Provider’s proposal as lately crafted represents a a very powerful misplaced alternative to extra hastily scale back the carbon footprint of probably the most biggest executive fleets on this planet,” Vicki Arroyo, affiliate administrator of coverage for the EPA, wrote in a letter.
“The Postal Provider’s proposal additionally has important implications for the country’s air high quality and public well being,” Arroyo wrote. “The cleaner the Postal Provider cars which might be deployed in communities around the nation, the extra air high quality and public well being will likely be advanced.”
The inside track was once first reported through The Washington Publish.
Regardless of a upward push in electrical cars gross sales within the U.S. lately, the transportation sector is among the biggest participants to U.S. greenhouse fuel emissions. It represents about one-third of emissions once a year.
The Postal Provider operates about 230,000 cars, which is kind of one-third of the federal government fleet. Postmaster Normal Louis DeJoy, who was once nominated to the board through former President Donald Trump, closing 12 months dedicated to a plan to transform simplest 10% of its new vehicles to electrical energy.
“This motion will lock in extremely polluting cars for no less than 30 extra years (past 2050) and is inconsistent with nationwide, and lots of state and native objectives for GHG emissions discounts,” Arroyo wrote.
One of the most Postal Provider’s primary competition, together with Walmart and FedEx, have dedicated to reaching all-electric fleets through 2040. Moreover, Amazon and UPS have dedicated to net-zero emissions through 2040 and 2050, respectively.
Environmental teams have sharply criticized the Postal Provider’s plan to not acquire an all-electric fleet.
Katherine García, direct of the Sierra Membership’s Blank Transportation for All marketing campaign, praised the management’s push towards the plan and referred to as the shift to an all-electric Postal Provider fleet a “no-brainer.”
“Electrical mail vehicles will scale back noise, air and local weather air pollution in communities around the country, whilst slashing fueling prices,” García mentioned. “There is not any explanation why USPS must be locking in a long time of fossil gas intake through taking into account a fleet of 90 p.c gas-powered vehicles.”
The Postal Provider didn’t right away reply to CNBC’s inquiry.
