USPS replaces fleet with gas-powered over electric vehicles, prompting Washington AG lawsuit
Apr 28, 2022, 4:06 PM
USPS 2016 Ram ProMaster 2500 High Roof seen in the South Lake Union area of Seattle (Flickr Creative Commons)
(Flickr Creative Commons)
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is taking Postmaster DeJoy to court over allegedly violating environmental law.
16 states that want to electrify USPS fleet file lawsuits
In February, the U.S. Postal Service purchased 165,000 primarily gas-powered vehicles, failing to consider electric vehicle alternatives, according to the lawsuit.
A.G. Bob Ferguson says that decision is in direct violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
“[NEPA] requires the government to look before it leaps by considering reasonable alternatives and allowing the people’s voices to inform decisions,” Ferguson wrote in a news release. “Postmaster DeJoy illegally leapt towards gas-powered vehicles without sufficiently considering alternatives. Postmaster DeJoy failed to uphold his responsibility to protect our shared environment.”
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
In February 2021, DeJoy, a Trump Administration appointee, selected Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense to build the replacement fleet. Ferguson claims USPS will spend billions of dollars over the next decade to replace its aging vehicles. Oshkosh does not currently manufacture any electric vehicles.
