Postmaster General Jack Potter Tuesday gave the Senate Appropriations Committee a finely detailed request for nearly $1.3 billion to help fund the purchase of mail-sanitization equipment, better security systems and other operational essentials. The money would fund the Post Office through next June.
This request comes after Potter's testimony before the committee last week in which he detailed the costs to the USPS for dealing with the anthrax scare and to make up for lost business because of terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
The PMG's four-page request calls for: $307 million for hazard detection equipment; $245 million to acquire chlorine-gas biological sanitizing systems; $97.9 million for modifying the heating air conditioning and ventilation systems in its processing plants; and $48.5 million to implement new mail screening initiatives, among other items.
The PMG also asked for $182 million to cover the costs of disruptions and re-handling of the mail.
It was unclear what action the Senate panel would take on Potter's request. Calls to the Senate Appropriations Committee were not returned at presstime.
"Without Congress' help, we will see a dramatic increase in the price of postage that eventually will lead to a loss of mail volume and postage revenue," said Robert McLean, executive director of the Mailers Council, in a statement. "That could eventually result in a request for an even larger appropriation than the one the Postal Service requested today."
Gene Del Polito, president of the Association for Postal Commerce, said, "the USPS would be lucky if it received half that amount."
Last Week, the Senate panel asked Potter to deliver today an itemized list of emergency.
USPS chief financial officer Richard Strasser evaded questions about a possible new rate case if Congress did not come up with enough money to fund these expenses (DIRECT Newsline, Nov. 8).
