Lawmakers urge delay of Oshkosh Corp. contract
Three members of Ohio’s congressional delegation are urging President Joe Biden to delay the U.S. Postal Service’s multibillion-dollar federal contract with Oshkosh Corp.
U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan and Marcy Kaptur and Sen. Sherrod Brown are calling for a review of the award of a $482 million contract to develop the next generation of mail trucks, for “inappropriate political influence” in the process and whether the contract is consistent with Biden’s order on tackling climate change.
The contract, to finalize the production design and equip factories, is a step toward eventually authorizing Oshkosh Corp. to build up to 165,000 new delivery trucks, with an estimated value of more than $6 billion.
The lawmakers noted only 10% of the new postal truck fleet would be electric under the agreement with Oshkosh Corp. They argued the contract “stands in direct contrast” with Biden’s executive order on climate change, which includes the intention of the federal government to start using electric vehicles.
“This contract will have consequences for decades to come and, as such, we have serious concerns it could be a wasted opportunity to address the climate crisis and the reindustrialization of our manufacturing sector,” the Ohio lawmakers wrote in a March 1 letter to Biden.
A USPS representative said in a statement to the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that the Postal Service is committed to pursuing long-term and near-term opportunities to reduce its environmental impact and that next-generation delivery vehicles, known as NGDV’s, can be updated as new technology becomes available.
“The Postal Service recognizes that powertrain technology may change significantly over the available 20-year life of the NGDV, and as such, the USPS selected a flexible design platform that can accommodate advancements in technology,” USPS representative Kimberly Frum wrote in an email.
In a Feb. 23 interview with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, Oshkosh Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer John Pfeifer said it is up to the Postal Service to determine how much of its new fleet would be electric and that Oshkosh Corp. announced a mix of both electric and internal-combustion-engine vehicles because some locations, such as rural and mountainous settings, may need the internalcombustion-engine vehicles.
In a March 1 news release, Ryan’s office noted another contract finalist — Cincinnati-based electric vehicle manufacturer Workhorse Group Inc. — lost the contract.
Workhorse’s share value plummeted after Oshkosh Corp. won the contract, and the company has asked for more information from the Postal Service about its decision. Workhorse executives met with Postal Service leaders Wednesday. The company said Thursday in a news release that it could not release details from that meeting.
Oshkosh Corp. and Workhorse did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reporter’s request for an interview.