Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Sierra Club and Elders Climate Action filed an administrative appeal to challenge the Postal Service’s rejection of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to see the Oshkosh proposal for 165,000 gas-powered delivery trucks. The appeal demands that the USPS release more than 2,000 pages of records being withheld by the agency.
“As the USPS forges ahead with its ill-conceived and controversial decision to pollute communities across the nation instead of electrifying their delivery trucks, we demand to see the details surrounding the agency’s decision,” said Elena Saxonhouse, Managing Attorney with the Sierra Club. “The USPS must be more transparent about the Oshkosh proposal and contract.”
“The Postal Service’s pass to pollute is reprehensible, and the public outcry around it should be evidence enough,” said Katherine García, Director of Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign. “The significance of the harm done to climate and public health by introducing a new fleet of gas-powered trucks for decades to come can’t be overstated. We will use all lawful means necessary to stop this short-sighted decision.”
Background: The Oshkosh contract is highly controversial for its unjustified reliance on fossil fuel-powered trucks and has drawn strong criticism from the general public, the White House, the EPA, members of Congress, and environmental groups, as a major assault on the administration’s climate goals and the air quality of communities across the nation.
Sierra Club and Elders Climate Action filed a FOIA request more than a year ago for records surrounding the Oshkosh contract, including the proposal at issue in today’s appeal.
Last month, 16 states and many environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, filed lawsuits against USPS challenging the decision to move forward with a delivery fleet made up of a majority of gas-powered vehicles.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.