The U.S. Postal Service heeded the requests of lawmakers on Tuesday, announcing that no retail office or processing facility would close before May 15, 2012. However, even if no facility closes before spring, USPS spokesperson Pete Nowacki said the process of reviewing sites for possible closure – including retail offices in Dixon, Elmo, Stryker and Olney and processing facilities in Missoula and Kalispell – will continue as planned.
“The postal service hopes this period will help facilitate the enactment of comprehensive postal legislation,” wrote USPS officials in a statement to the press. “Given the postal service’s financial situation and the loss of mail volume, the postal service must continue to take all steps necessary to reduce costs and increase revenue.”
Earlier this year the postal service announced that more than 3,700 retail offices and more than 250 processing facilities would be reviewed for possible closure. The reviews were in response to ballooning financial shortfalls suffered by the postal service, partially due to a decline in mail volume. According to the postal service, the agency must cut $20 billion in operating costs by 2015. USPS ended the 2011 fiscal year with $5.1 billion in losses. One of the largest drains on the agency is a law requiring the postal service to pay $5.5 billion in preretirement health benefits.
The announcement won praise from some of Montana’s U.S. delegation, which has argued that closing retail outposts and processing centers could negatively affect rural states, including Montana.
“Today’s announcement is a win for Montana, and credit belongs to the thousands of Montanans who raised concerns about the importance of postal service and the jobs it supports in rural America,” Sen. Jon Tester said in a statement. “But we have more work to do. I look forward to working on a long-term solution that keeps the postal service open for business and serving rural America.”