Washington, DC—Today, Rep. Terri A. Sewell released the following statement on the United States Postal Service’s  (USPS) announcement that it has decided to delay closing or consolidating any Post Office or mailing facility until May 1, 2012.  

“I was pleased to hear of the United States Postal Service’s decision to delay the closing or consolidating any Post Offices or mailing facilities until next May.  Ten Post Offices in the Seventh Congressional District and 52 across the State of Alabama were slated to close.  Most of these scheduled closures are in rural areas, where access to alternative postal services is limited. 

I understand that in these difficult economic times, we must all tighten our belts and there must be a shared sacrifice from everyone.  However, we must ensure that the American public has access to reliable USPS services. I believe that closing Post Offices and severely hindering access to postal services in rural areas is the wrong way to go about postal reform. 

The USPS’s announcement of closure delays will ensure that my constituents and thousands of other communities across the State of Alabama and the nation will continue to have reliable, uninterrupted postal services.  I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and the USPS on responsible solutions that will continue to provide access to post offices for thousands of American communities and ensure the sustainability of the United States Postal Service.”

Earlier this year, approximately 3,700 post offices were targeted for closures by the USPS due to financial struggles, including mail volume declining and changing customer habits. The USPS planned to conduct studies on certain post offices to determine which facilities are subject to closure. After the announcement of closures, Congresswoman Sewell and some of her colleagues in Congress sent a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe expressing their concern over the potential closures and their importance to rural communities. Now that the deadline has been extended, this will ensure that the ten Post Offices in the Seventh Congressional District, 52 across the State of Alabama and approximately 3,700 across the nation slated for closure will remain open until at least May 1, 2012.

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Contact:  Allison Abney;  (202) 225-2665;  Allison.abney@mail.house.gov