Washington Sues USPS Over Gas-Powered Fleet

SEATTLE — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and team have filed a lawsuit against the Postal Service and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, alleging that they broke federal environmental law this February by deciding to replace 165,000 vehicles with gas-powered models instead of considering electric or hybrid options. The USPS operates roughly 212,000 vehicles nationwide, most of which were built in the late 80s or early 90s and need to be replaced.

The suit, which was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses DeJoy and the USPS of violating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) during its review process. In particular, Ferguson alleges they chose a manufacturer and signed a contract before releasing any environmental review of their purchase. After publishing their review, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) alleges, the USPS refused to consider other alternatives like electric vehicles, or even a compromise of buying a largely electric fleet, but keeping gas vehicles in places where electric cars would be less convenient.

"The Postal Service also ignored key environmental impacts, like the effect of continued poor air quality in already-polluted communities," the Attorney General's Office said in a news release. "USPS also did not consider whether purchasing a majority of gas-powered vehicles was consistent with climate policies in states like Washington."

The AGO's suit claims that USPS ignored NEPA, sometimes called the “Magna Carta of environmental law,” to justify its predetermined choice.

“The ‘Magna Carta’ of environmental law requires government to look before it leaps by considering reasonable alternatives and allowing the people’s voices to inform decisions,” Ferguson said. “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 Attorneys General of California, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, have also joined the lawsuit, plus legal representatives for the City of New York and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.