Heinrich, Bicameral Group Of Lawmakers Urge USPS IG To Provide Additional Analysis On Fleet Electrification, Cost Of Carbon

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) is leading a group of 20 lawmakers who are calling on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to accurately assess the cost of reliance on fossil fuels, which impacts national security and the climate crisis, as the agency prepares to update its vehicle fleet.

The request comes in response to a recent report from the USPS Office of the Inspector General that identified the benefits of fleet electrification, but stopped short of analyzing the social costs of fossil fuel reliance.

In a letter to USPS Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb, the lawmakers write, “Thank you for your recent investigation into electrifying the postal service’s vehicle fleet. At a time when we are seeing high prices at the pump, increasing fossil energy security issues, and the tangible impacts of climate change, we need analyses and insights like those provided by your office. As you continue your investigation into USPS’s NEPA compliance, we request that you also update your analyses to include the social cost of carbon.”

Joining Senator Heinrich on the letter are fellow Electrification Caucus Co-Chairs Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.). Also signing the letter are U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Angus King (I-Maine), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.). 

“In the past month, we have seen the vulnerabilities wrought by a dependence on fossil fuels and how that reliance can prop up petrostate dictators. Meanwhile, a 70 degree temperature spike in Antarctica caused an ice shelf larger than New York City to break off the continent for the first time on record. These costs are real, and we ask that you update your economic analysis to incorporate the social cost of carbon, to capture at least some of these impacts, when comparing the cost of electric and fossil fuel vehicles,” the lawmakers continued.

Read the full text of the letter below or by clicking here.

Dear Ms. Whitcomb, 

Thank you for your recent investigation into electrifying the postal service’s vehicle fleet. At a time when we are seeing high prices at the pump, increasing fossil energy security issues, and the tangible impacts of climate change, we need analyses and insights like those provided by your office. As you continue your investigation into USPS’s NEPA compliance, we request that you also update your analyses to include the social cost of carbon.

USPS manages a fleet of 217,000 vehicles - almost the number of vehicles registered in Washington, D.C. Electrifying this fleet could reduce emissions three-fold, and your analysis highlights many other benefits; electric vehicles are cheaper to fuel and maintain, they insulate from volatile fossil fuel prices, and their range is suitable for 98.5% of postal routes. The outcome of this analysis is not surprising. Electric engines have 40% higher efficiency than gasoline engines, with fewer moving parts and no oil to change. 

You also note uncertainty in the cost of charging infrastructure. This is a one-time investment which will still be useful when the fleet turns over again 20 years from now. Prior generations made similar investments in railroad tracks and airport runways to keep mail delivery evolving with the times – investments which we still benefit from daily. Scaling up charging infrastructure now will set the stage for additional technologies which we are only beginning to envision for the future. 

What is not highlighted in your analysis is also notable: the cost of reliance on fossil fuels to our national security and our climate. In the past month, we have seen the vulnerabilities wrought by a dependence on fossil fuels and how that reliance can prop up petrostate dictators. Meanwhile, a 70 degree temperature spike in Antarctica caused an ice shelf larger than New York City to break off the continent for the first time on record. These costs are real, and we ask that you update your economic analysis to incorporate the social cost of carbon, to capture at least some of these impacts, when comparing the cost of electric and fossil fuel vehicles. Despite not accounting for these factors, you still found electric vehicles had a similar cost of ownership as fossil fuel vehicles for the average USPS route.  

The establishment and oversight of the postal service are explicitly listed in the Constitution under the powers of Congress. Thank you for continuing to provide the full picture to us as we exercise this oversight, and we look forward to your additional analysis.