By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – Wednesday’s U.S. House of Representatives will be considering a bill which would invalidate a U.S. The USPS completed an environmental review as part of its purchase agreement for 50,000 Next-Generation Delivery Vehicles.

Carolyn Maloney, House Oversight and Reform Chair, is proposing legislation to force USPS to perform a fresh environmental review. USPS was previously asked by the White House and Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider.

USPS made a March order of $2.98 billion for Oshkosh’s next-generation delivery vehicle. It doubled its expected electric vehicle (EV), purchases, from 5,000 up to 10,019 in 2026.

The USPS anticipates that vehicles will start appearing on carriers routes late in 2023. Many 30-year-old cars will be replaced by modern models that lack airbags and other safety features.

Louis DeJoy the Postmaster General defended the vehicle acquisition plan. In an interview with Reuters, he said that he selected 10,019 routes to use EVs and “We’re making major moves.”

USPS predicts that it will receive approximately 5,000 vehicles of the next generation in 2023 and another 21,000 per year thereafter.

DeJoy described the USPS’s urgency vehicle requirements as “a complete slam-dunk” and called DeJoy’s order “a great idea”. DeJoy explained that there are people in the world who own trucks that could be dangerous.

In the immediate USPS, gas-powered cars are needed. According to him the decision was very rational based on the math of our company.

But we are in an absurd environment.

DeJoy said that he was open to the purchase of more EVs if Congress provides him additional funds.

DeJoy explained that his job was with the United States Postal Service – not the EPA. “We’ll continue to exist for at least 250 more years. We’ll also be green somewhere along the way.”

The United Auto Workers, sixteen states and environmental groups filed suit last month to stop the delivery vehicle plan of the service. They claimed it did not comply with environmental regulations. USPS replied that they had “conducted an extensive and thorough review” and adhered to all our obligations.