The United States Postal Service (USPS) was awarded the “President’s Federal Sustainability Award” by the Biden administration at the end of last month for its efforts in reducing energy costs, promoting zero emissions, and economic development.
The award aims to recognize federal agencies and employees who make transformative efforts in climate adaptation. USPS is currently building the largest federal electrified fleet. At the award ceremony held at the White House on June 25th, USPS Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy stated, “Our team has established a strong relationship with the Environmental Quality Committee and the Office of Clean Energy and Innovation Implementation, creating one of the world’s largest electric delivery vehicle fleets.” He further emphasized that electrification and sustainability can coexist with priorities of cost savings, increased efficiency, and operational transformation without conflict.
Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, emphasized, “The federal government is the largest energy consumer, building and vehicle owner, as well as purchaser of goods and services in the United States. The Biden-Harris administration is committed to responsibly managing taxpayer dollars while advancing the most ambitious climate and clean energy agenda in history.”
In 2021, the federal government announced plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, including a 65% reduction in emissions by 2030. According to the plan, the federal government is improving the efficiency of 300,000 federal buildings and transitioning 600,000 federal vehicles into 100% zero-emission electric vehicles.
In December 2022, USPS received a $3 billion appropriation from Congress under the “Inflation Reduction Act” and committed to deploying 66,000 electric postal delivery vehicles within five years. All vehicle procurements after 2026 will be designated as 100% electric vehicles.
According to a USPS press release, to achieve this goal, USPS is installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the United States, with plans to install 14,000 charging ports in the coming years.