U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement after an announcement today from the United States Postal Service (USPS) saying they intend to move forward with awards to modernize and electrify the postal delivery vehicle fleet:
“I have long pressed the Postal Service to purchase more American-made and union-made electric delivery trucks, and I applaud today’s announcement that they will acquire new safe and efficient electric trucks that will be built by the Ford Motor Company and members of the United Auto Workers. I’m also pleased the Postal Service is already beginning to use the funding I secured through the Inflation Reduction Act to invest in charging infrastructure that will ensure they can quickly adopt more cost effective and energy efficient electric vehicles. I will continue monitoring how these funds are being used and work to ensure the Postal Service’s vehicle fleet is safe, sustainable, and able to help them continue to deliver mail to every community.”
Peters has led several efforts to ensure the Postal Service acquires more electric vehicles. In part due to his urging, the Postal Service previously announced that they intended to invest in charging infrastructure and deploy over 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028. This announcement came after Peters helped secure $3 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act to help the Postal Service purchase electric delivery trucks and invest in charging infrastructure. Peters conducted ongoing oversight prior to this, including a committee briefing with USPS in 2022 to discuss efforts to modernize the Postal Service’s aging delivery vehicle fleet by acquiring electric vehicles and prioritizing union-made vehicles. In 2021, he sent a letter to Postal Service leadership urging them to prioritize the acquisition of electric vehicles to ensure the fleet is sustainable for the Postal Service and for our environment.
Peters has also led other efforts to modernize the Postal Service and protect their nearly 250-year tradition of reliable delivery. His historic, bipartisan legislation to set the Postal Service on a more stable financial footing and support the goal of providing long-term reliable service across the country was signed into law last year. In 2020, Peters championed legislation to secure a $10 billion direct payment to the Postal Service to help recover from pandemic-related losses.
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