Posted on 03/14/2022 1:35:48 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are seeking an investigation into a U.S. Postal Service plan to replace its aging mail trucks with mostly gasoline-powered vehicles.
The plan largely ignores White House calls 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.
In a letter Monday, Democrats on the oversight panel asked the agency’s inspector general to investigate whether the Postal Service complied with the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws when awarding a 10-year contract to Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense to supply up to 165,000 new mail trucks.
Only 10% of the initial order will be for EVs; the remaining 90% will use traditional gasoline-powered engines.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Republican donor and ally of former President Donald Trump, has said the 10% EV production is the best the Postal Service can do, given its “dire financial condition.” An additional $3.3 billion would be needed convert the entire USPS fleet to battery-powered electrics, DeJoy said.
The Postal Service decision conflicts with Biden’s goal to convert all of the federal government’s vehicles to zero-emissions models by 2035. The Postal Service is controlled by a board of governors and does not take orders from the president. Biden has nominated two people to serve on the board, but they have not been confirmed, leaving the panel under control of a Republican chairman, Roman Martinez.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Hey, Dims…. it’s supposed to be an independent quasi-corporate business. Let it be.
So, we’ve got sentient beings in the USPS, and critters in the congress.
Yes, I know, the USPS isn’t perfect. But one can attribute roughly 99% of USPS flaws to congress critters.
Remember when the treatment of a critter was obvious?
I think a hybrid mail vehicle could work for certain routes, but it certainly is not a one truck fits all situation type thing.
Ideally you would design different trucks for different markets. city vs rural for example, 2wd for LA and 4wd for chicago
Form follows function...but I agree that big windshield will be expensive to replace.
USPS wants something that will actually work. (I know it’s hard to believe).
Poorly maintained electric mail trucks will be so much better than the cheaper and poorly maintained gas powered trucks.
Why not just close the USPS and let FED-EX, Amazon, and UPS deliver first class mail?
USPS is finely gearing up for package delivery (That is why that thing is so tall and ugly) while amazon is shifting away from USPS.
I odered something from amazon who mailed it. I needed it yesterday (sunday) it got marked undeliverable at 6:40AM..
They delivered it to day. carrier said “oh we don’t deliver to businesses on sunday only residental.
ummm why not? we’re open.
Those Grumman LLVs (disguised Chevy S-10 drivetrain and chassis) may be poorly maintained but the average one has been on the road for 27 years.
The giant windshield is perfect...if you wanted one that would let a moose pass through without slowing down.
This is a sop to the Green Cult, nothing more. The Postal Workers Union is staunchly Democrat and have their own, ah, interests in the awarding of this contract. Seriously jeopardizing that isn’t a smart move in an election year. Making a show of it is just fine.
It’s one thing for the Biden administration to say “buy electric for all new USPS trucks”. It’s entirely another for the infrastructure to support charging those vehicles every night. Depending on the size of the postal station, the charging posts, line converters, etc. could equal the cost of several of the trucks themselves. Also needing consideration is the size of the electrical service to the postal station along with transformers, etc.
Why does it remind me of a duck?
We’re going to be on the hook for a fortune in glass repair over the life of this fleet.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD,
SLOW DOWN THE RECKLESS DANGEROUS SNAILS!!!
I say go full bore electric, let the USPS suffer through the pain of failure underwritten by Congress. Then the whole EV Utopia will die in the face of reality...
They figured they could either have green trucks, or deliver the mail. Kind of a no-brainer, if your name is the U.S. Postal Service.
Armored for Chicago and Detroit, NYC
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