Jared Huffman calls on USPS to reconsider contract, electrify vehicles
Joined by a dozen members of Congress, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) called upon the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors to reconsider its 10-year contract with Oshkosh Defense to produce up to 165,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles, only 10% of which would be electric vehicles.
Earlier this month, Huffman introduced legislation to provide $6 billion in funding to replace at least 75% of the U.S. Postal Service’s fleet with electric vehicles. The Postal Vehicle Modernization Act would require 50% of medium/heavy duty vehicle purchases to be electric or zero-emission through 2029 and would ban the purchase of non-electric vehicles after January 2040.
“We are dismayed to learn from testimony by Postmaster General (Louis) DeJoy at the House Committee on Oversight and Reform that this contract would currently produce only 10% electric vehicles,” Huffman’s letter stated. “Moreover, we are informed that even the 10% target is highly questionable – it has been reported that the contract awardee has not tested an EV prototype, and recently warned investors that it lacked expertise and experience manufacturing electric vehicles.”
The letter points to President Joe Biden’s Jan. 27 Executive Order which “directed the heads of all relevant federal agencies to assist and support the National Climate Advisor on fleet electrification plans within 90 days” with the ultimate goal of electrifying 100% of the nation’s public vehicle fleets.
“Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has not only shown no sign of supporting the council, he has flouted President Biden’s directive by awarding the contract for at least 90% internal combustion vehicles on Feb. 23, 2021,” the letter stated. “Meanwhile, major private delivery fleets — including FEDEX, UPS and Amazon, among others — are aggressively transitioning their fleets to clean, safe, reliable, and cost-effective EVs.”
Reached by email on Monday afternoon, U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Kimberly Frum said the Postal Service hopes for the majority of its vehicles to be electric by 2035.
“When we selected the supplier for our next generation of postal vehicles, we imagined an electric vehicle future,” Frum said. “The new postal delivery vehicle fleet will be equipped with either fuel-efficient internal combustion engines or battery-electric powertrains and can be retrofitted to keep pace with advances in electric vehicle technologies.”
That being said, Frum said the Postal Service faces “billions in annual operating losses.”
“An additional investment of approximately $8 billion is needed to electrify our delivery vehicle fleet to the maximum extent that is operationally feasible,” she added.
In a March 11 letter to Congress, DeJoy explained that the “10% electric vehicle quantity is a floor — not a ceiling” based on the Postal Service’s current financial condition.
“Media reports have suggested 10% is the extent of our delivery fleet electrification plan. That is incorrect. To the contrary, even with regard to our initial vehicle order, which is not planned until February of 2022, we have the ability under the contract to continue to evaluate opportunities for electrification. If our financial condition changes or we receive additional funding for the purpose, we have the ability to accelerate our electric vehicle strategy,” DeJoy wrote.
Reached by phone on Monday afternoon, Huffman told the Times-Standard, “It doesn’t pass the smell test.”
“(DeJoy) won’t even show (Congress) the contract and they are rushing forward trying to obligate hundreds of millions of dollars before Congress and the new administration can redirect them,” Huffman said. “There’s every reason to believe the fix is in for a fossil fuel vehicle purchase that is only token lip service to electrification.”
Huffman expressed hope that Biden’s nominees — former deputy Postmaster General Ron Stroman, former general counsel of the American Postal Workers Union Anton Hajjar, and CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute, Amber McReynolds — to the Board of Governors push the Postal Service to a greener future.
“We’re urging them to put a pause on this contract and to give us a chance to get a new board majority in place and review whether this contract is even remotely consistent with President Biden’s clean vehicle order,” Huffman said.
By: ISABELLA VANDERHEIDEN
Source: Eureka Times Standard
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