U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) sent a letter to Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Postal Service Louis DeJoy urging him to reconsider the proposed relocation of the North Platte Processing and Distribution Center to Denver, Colorado.
“The North Platte P&DC is a critical hub for USPS delivery in rural Nebraska through its role in processing and distributing mail for all of central and western Nebraska west of Cozad. Relocating its operations to Denver, Colorado would risk further decreasing on-time delivery for my constituents,” wrote Senator Fischer.
In her letter, Senator Fischer called on Postmaster General DeJoy to earnestly work with stakeholders to reevaluate the impact the relocation of the processing and distribution center would have on her constituents.
“Americans rely on USPS to stay connected and access to this vital service cannot be in doubt. While I appreciate the desire of USPS to modernize operations and address its fiscal stability, this must not come at the expense of our communities’ access to timely mail services,” Senator Fischer continued.
Background:
On January 10, 2024, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) published a notice that it was conducting a Mail Processing Facility Review of its processing operations at the North Platte Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC). Currently, the North Platte facility processes and distributes all mail in Nebraska west of the city of Cozad to the Wyoming border, north to the South Dakota border, and into portions of northern Kansas.
The Mail Processing Facility Review is considering three options for the North Platte P&DC to determine whether efficiency could be increased and service improved.
USPS is reviewing public input as part of the review. If USPS decides to move forward with changing operations at the North Platte P&DC, the agency will hold a public input meeting to collect additional feedback.
Read the full letter below:
The Honorable Louis DeJoy
Postmaster General & Chief Executive Officer
USPS – Headquarters
475 L’Enfant Plaza SW
Washington, D.C. 20260
Dear Postmaster General DeJoy:
I write today with strong concerns about the recent Notice of Intent to Conduct Mail Processing Facility Review (MPFR) for the North Platte Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC).
The North Platte P&DC is a critical hub for USPS delivery in rural Nebraska through its role in processing and distributing mail for all of central and western Nebraska west of Cozad. Relocating its operations to Denver, Colorado would risk further decreasing on-time delivery for my constituents.
The distance between the North Platte P&DC and Denver is over 250 miles one way and it is difficult to understand how sending inter-Nebraska mail there to be processed and then back to the state for distribution would improve efficiency, especially for mail delivered to rural areas.
While I appreciate that there is a public comment period underway, I am concerned about the adequacy of it for a proposal of this magnitude. Unfortunately, in 2015, USPS declined my request to have an additional opportunity for members of the public to voice their concerns over the relocation of the North Platte post office to its present location. The best decisions impacting our communities are made by citizens that live there, and it is critical that they have opportunities to have their voices heard so that decisions are made with their input in mind.
Americans rely on USPS to stay connected and access to this vital service cannot be in doubt. While I appreciate the desire of USPS to modernize operations and address its fiscal stability, this must not come at the expense of our communities’ access to timely mail services.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to receiving your response and working with you to ensure that all Americans maintain access to timely mail services.