BRUNSWICK, Maine – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is calling on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Office of the Inspector General (IG) to take a wider view of costs and benefits — especially the long-term, expensive impacts of fossil fuel reliance – as the USPS prepares to update its vehicle fleet. In a letter to USPS Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb, King and a group of 20 lawmakers highlight the benefits of an electrified fleet, detail the climate and national security threats posed by fossil fuel reliance, and urge the USPS IG to review these factors as the USPS continues its decision-making process for the new fleet. The request comes in response to a recent report from the USPS IG that identified the benefits of fleet electrification, but stopped short of analyzing the social costs of fossil fuel reliance.

“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,” wrote the lawmakers. “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.”

“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,” the lawmakers continued. “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.”

As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources, Senator King has been a forceful advocate for climate and clean energy solutions wherever they can be found. A member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, he previously urged the Biden Administration to adopt forward-looking proposals aimed at ramping up the electrification of the federal vehicle fleet, and worked to secure investments in EV infrastructure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Senator King is also a cosponsor of the Clean Economy Act, which would put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050, and the Renewable Electricity Standard Act which would put the U.S. on a trajectory to decarbonize the power sector by 2050. King has also worked to strengthen the USPS, and recently helped passthe Postal Service Reform Act, historic bipartisan legislation to protect the long-term health of the Service and help ensure deliveries are made in a reliable, timely manner.

The full letter can be read HERE or below.

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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.