(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
By DAVID SHARP Associated Press
California and 15 other states that want the U.S. Postal Service to buy electric-powered delivery vehicles are suing to halt purchases of thousands of gas-powered trucks. Three lawsuits, filed Thursday in New York and California by the states and environmental groups, demand that the Postal Service conduct a more thorough environmental review before moving forward with the next-generation vehicle program. Plaintiffs said emissions from gasoline-powered delivery vehicles would cause environmental harm for decades to come. All told, the Postal Service’s fleet includes 190,000 local delivery vehicles, most of which went into service between 1987 and 1994. The Postal Service plans to buy up to 165,000 new vehicles over the next 10 years.