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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
USPS INTERPRETATION OF RSIA
______
HON. DON YOUNG
of alaska
in the house of representatives
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Mr. YOUNG. Madam Speaker, it was my pleasure as Dean of the House of
Representatives to swear you in at the beginning of this Congressional
Session. I pledge to work with you on all matters affecting our Nation
and my home State of Alaska.
I want to bring to the attention of my colleagues, and the United
States Postal Service (USPS), which receives a certain level of federal
funding for forgone revenue due to free and reduced rate mail under the
Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Title of the
appropriations package, an issue that is critical to safe and stable
passenger air service in Alaska.
Alaska is unique in comparison to other States within our Union in
that we have special mail service to provide roughly the equivalent of
universal postal service, on par with the rest of the country, to
remote Alaskan communities throughout my State which are not connected
to the U.S. road system. By way of aviation, vital ``bypass'' mail
service is provided via air carriers to towns and villages all over
Alaska. This service is critical to the State of Alaska and to my
constituents. USPS has jurisdiction over this program and, from time to
time, has implemented its interpretations that diverge from
Congressional intent of the Rural Services Improvement Act (RSIA)--a
law that I helped develop with my former Senate colleague Ted Stevens,
and which governs the USPS mail-delivery system for Alaska.
The intent of RSIA is very similar to the intent of the USPS funding
included in the Financial Services appropriations bill--to ensure that
rural postal delivery is maintained at prior year levels and to prevent
the closure of important rural post offices.
There is only one airline in Alaska that now delivers mail and
passengers ``from the first to the last mile'' to the far reaches of
the State--to Native communities, to communities on the Aleutian chain,
and the northern-most towns and villages in the State. This airline,
Ravn Air, has been disadvantaged by the USPS's interpretation of RSIA
that does not grant the air carrier the status as an ``existing
mainline carrier'' under the statute. This status will help further
ensure that viable passenger service and mail delivery is maintained
throughout the State.
From time to time, it is fair and appropriate for USPS to objectively
reevaluate its interpretation of RSIA to provide an updated application
of the law and to consider Ravn for this status.
I intend to follow up with USPS and its new Commissioners regarding
this request. The entire Alaska Congressional Delegation has previously
written USPS on this matter and I will continue to reach out to my
Senate Colleagues for review of this with USPS in light of changes
within USPS itself, and changes in the airline industry and marketplace
in Alaska.
I thank my colleagues and with that I will vote for passage of the
Financial Services bill as part of the final FY '19 Appropriations
package.
____________________
