OAKLAND, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Several states are suing the U.S. Postal Service over its decision to purchase new gas-powered vehicles.
The states filed suit April 29 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claiming its analysis for the purchases was flawed. The USPS has the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world – more than 212,000 vehicles – and is planning to replace 90% of them.
“Once this purchase goes through, we’ll be stuck with more than 100,000 new gas-guzzling vehicles on neighborhood streets, serving homes across our state and across the country, for the next 30 years,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote.
“There won’t be a reset button. We’re going to court to make sure the Postal Service complies with the law and considers more environmentally friendly alternatives before it makes this decision.”
California is joined in the case by New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, the District of Columbia, New York City and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
“As its current vehicle fleet nears the end of its useful life, the Postal Service has been presented with a tremendous opportunity to convert its fleet to zero-emission electric vehicles, a change that would alleviate pollution in overburdened communities and help tackle the climate crisis,” the suit says.