(Washington D.C.) – Today, Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke joins Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hagaman and seven other Members of Congress in sending a letter to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) concerning changes to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The letter comes after the USPS officially requested an advisory opinion from the PRC for elements of its Delivering for America Plan, including restructuring its processing and logistics network and altering its delivery service standards. These changes would involve consolidating numerous existing Processing and Distribution Centers to newly proposed locations which could be across state lines and hundreds of miles away from rural communities. Communities that used to have Processing and Distribution Centers in their areas could see extra days of delivery added to some of their mail service.
Congressman Zinke has been monitoring this issue closely as it has evolved, leading a letter in May of this year opposing the relocation of the Missoula Processing and Distributing center to Spokane, Washington.
“This is a classic example of decisions coming down from D.C. that just don’t make any sense in Montana,” said Congressman Zinke. “Mail service in Montana is already a logistical nightmare. Sending the Missoula Processing and Distributing Center out of the State will slow things down, add confusion, and lead to more Montanans being unable to receive their mail in a timely manner. Just because it works in Baltimore or New York, doesn’t mean it will work in Ravalli or Lincoln.”
Read the full text of the letter here.
Read Congressman Zinke’s letter about the Missoula Processing and Distributing Center here.