Biden-Harris Administration Honors U.S. Postal Service With a Presidential Federal Sustainability Award

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Jun 25, 2024, 22:39 ET

USPS is recognized for advancing the sustainability and climate resilience of the U.S. government in ways that cut energy costs, reduce emissions and grow our economy

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the White House announced the recipients of the Presidential Federal Sustainability Awards. The Postal Service was among the honorees.

“Biden-Harris Administration Honors Postal Service With a Presidential Federal Sustainability Award"

Accepting the award for "Electrifying the Largest Federal Fleet," Postmaster General and CEO Louis DeJoy said, "We are honored to receive this award as our team has built a great relationship with members of the Council on Environmental Quality, and the Office of Clean Energy and Innovation and Implementation, to build one of the world's largest electric delivery vehicle fleets. Our work together demonstrates electrification and sustainability efforts can coexist — not conflict — with cost savings, efficiency gains, and operational transformation priorities."

The Presidential Federal Sustainability Awards recognize federal agencies and employees who have made transformational efforts to advance sustainability and climate resilience within their organization. These actions are supporting the growth of America's clean manufacturing and clean energy industries and jobs, saving taxpayer dollars through reduced energy costs, and creating healthier communities.

"Our federal government is the nation's largest energy consumer, building and vehicle owner, and purchaser of goods and services, and the Biden-Harris administration remains committed to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars while delivering on the most ambitious climate and clean energy agenda in history," said Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "The Presidential Federal Sustainability Award winners represent the very best of our federal workforce and agencies who have tackled complex challenges and delivered results for a cleaner, more efficient federal government."

In his first year, President Joe Biden issued an executive order directing the federal government to lead by example and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, including a 65 percent reduction in emissions by 2030, a goal laid out in the 2021 Federal Sustainability Plan. Under this plan, federal agencies are increasing the efficiency of 300,000 federal buildings, transitioning the federal fleet of 600,000 vehicles to zero-emission, and moving to power all federal operations with 100 percent carbon-free electricity.

Awardees were selected from a pool of more than 140 nominees and represent domestic and international facilities or projects spanning 10 federal agencies.

Electrifying the Largest Federal Fleet

The Postal Service was honored for leading by example by building one of the world's largest electric delivery vehicle fleets helping to advance President Biden's Federal Sustainability Plan's goals, resulting in cleaner air, better health, and good-paying jobs in communities across the country. In December 2022, USPS announced its commitment to put 66,000 electric delivery trucks on the roads over the next five years and the expectation that its Next Generation Delivery Vehicle fleet purchases will be all electric starting in 2026. This represents one of the largest commitments to vehicle electrification in the nation. With this announcement, USPS is voluntarily exceeding the federal fleet electrification requirements in President Biden's Federal Sustainability Plan.

To power these vehicles, as part of its delivery network transformation, USPS is expeditiously installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the nation, with 14,000 charging ports in progress to be installed over the next few years. Charging port installations will continue at least through 2028 at hundreds of facilities to support these vehicle purchases. Through its actions, USPS is setting an example for the Federal Government in advancing President Biden's charge to electrify the U.S. Government's 600,000 vehicles.

Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 167 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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