The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday accomplished a remaining regulatory requirement for its plan to switch its supply fleet with hundreds of gas-powered automobiles, forging forward with a call that is drawn sturdy opposition from the Biden administration and environmental teams.

The Postal Service operates roughly 230,000 automobiles, making up one-third of the nation’s complete federal fleet. Earlier this month, the EPA and the White Home Council on Environmental High quality urged the Postal Service to conduct an up to date and extra detailed technical evaluation and maintain a public listening to on its plan.

The group has now accomplished the analysis, placing it on monitor to ship the primary of the brand new automobiles subsequent yr, which can embrace not less than 5,000 electric-powered automobiles.

Postmaster Basic Louis DeJoy, a Trump ally who was nominated to the place in 2020, pledged final yr to transform 10% of its new vans to electrical energy.

“Our dedication to an electrical fleet stays formidable given the urgent automobile and security wants of our growing older fleet in addition to our fragile monetary situation,” DeJoy stated in an announcement on Wednesday.

DeJoy added that the Postal Service can buy extra electrical automobiles below the plan if extra funding “from both inside or congressional sources turns into obtainable.”

The Postal Service’s plan would blunt the Biden administration’s pledge to switch its federal fleet of 600,000 vehicles and vans to electrical energy and lower the federal government’s carbon emissions by 65% by mid-century.

Regardless of a current rise in electrical automobiles gross sales within the U.S., the transportation sector is likely one of the largest contributors to the nation’s climate-changing emissions, comprising roughly one-third of whole emissions annually.

By reversing course on its plan and electrifying the brand new mail vans, the Postal Service might stop the federal government from burning 110 million gallons of gasoline annually, in keeping with the environmental nonprofit Earthjustice.

“DeJoy’s plans for the postal fleet will drag us again many years with a truck mannequin that will get laughable gasoline economic system. We could as nicely ship the mail with hummers,” Adrian Martinez, senior legal professional on Earthjustice’s Proper to Zero marketing campaign, stated in an announcement.

“DeJoy’s environmental overview is rickety, based on suspect calculations, and fails to satisfy the requirements of the regulation,” Martinez stated. “We’re not completed preventing this reckless resolution.” 

“Neither rain, nor sleet, nor monetary good sense will cease the leaders of the U.S. Postal Service from making an attempt to purchase soiled, polluting supply vans,” Patricio Portillo, transportation analyst on the Pure Assets Protection Council, stated in an announcement.

“For the sake of unpolluted air and value financial savings, it is time to return this plan to sender,” Portillo stated.