Washington D.C. (Oct. 11, 2022)—Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting information on the Postal Service’s plans to use funding made available by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand its fleet of electric vehicles (EV) and work with federal and state partners to help create a nationwide public EV charging network.
“The Oversight Committee strongly supports the purchase of EVs for the Postal Service’s fleet, which will position the Postal Service as an environmental leader,” wrote Chairwoman Maloney. “Electric vehicles will help the Postal Service reduce costs in the long term, increase reliability, and improve the Postal Service’s ability to efficiently deliver mail and packages. Electrifying the next generation of Postal Service vehicles will also greatly contribute to the nation’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
The Inflation Reduction Act recently allocated $3 billion to the Postal Service to expand its acquisition of electric vehicles. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $5 billion to develop a national EV charging network. These funds provide historic opportunities for the Postal Service to expand its EV program and improve its environmental impact.
Earlier this year, after Chairwoman Maloney held a hearing and wrote a letter urging the Postal Service to “rapidly transition to an electric fleet,” the Postal Service agreed to increase the number of EVs it would purchase and update the environmental analysis for its new vehicle fleet.
Today’s letter requests that Postmaster DeJoy provide information on how the Postal Service plans to use its newly available funding—including how the Postal Service plans to further increase the number of electric Next Generation Delivery Vehicles being purchased and how it plans to work with state governments and the Department of Transportation on a national public-facing charging network.
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