Congress is trying to stop the transition to electric vehicles

• Congress is attempting to suspend the financing of electric vehicle mail delivery.
• The Postal Service plans to introduce 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028.
• Experts warn about the risks for ecology due to the suspension of the project.

Washington — A year after praising the plan to replace thousands of old postal vehicles with mostly electric fleets, the USPS is facing attempts by Congress to strip it of billions of dollars in federal funding for electric vehicles.

In June, a congressional Republican blocked a proposal in a major tax and spending bill that included sales of new electric vehicles and infrastructure for the service, as well as the suspension of federal surpluses. However, efforts to stop the transition to a clean energy fleet continue under the guise of economic concerns.

The president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Daniel Masten, stated that suspending the program now would cost millions of dollars.

Many scientists express concern that the government may miss the opportunity to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, especially since timely actions are essential. Research from the University of Michigan in 2022 found that new electric postal vehicles could reduce overall emissions of greenhouse gases by 20 million tons over the planned 20-year service life.

Many Republican lawmakers criticize President Donald Trump’s ecological initiatives of the Biden administration and assert that the Postal Service should focus on delivering mail. Senator Jon Ernst from Iowa noted that "it makes no sense for the Postal Service to invest so heavily in a fully electric fleet."

An independent, self-financing federal agency that primarily finances postal collections and product sales is at the stage of implementing a modernization plan worth $40 billion over 10 years. This initiative received support from Democratic President Joe Biden, who promised to transition to a fully electric federal fleet of vehicles and trucks.

The Postal Service announced that by 2028 it plans to introduce a total of 66,000 electric vehicles, including commercial models, after years of delays in reducing emissions. To date, it has ordered 51,500 new electric vehicles, of which it has already received 300 electric and 1,000 gasoline-powered vehicles.

Tags: Politics/Automotive