Page 3 - QT CURRENT EDITION #28

THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024 THE QUEENS TIMES PAGE 3

Postal Service Agrees To Implement Recommendations
Included In New Federal Probe Exposing Major Suozzi Seeks New Bipartisan

Mismanagement In Combating Mail Theft In Queens Coalition Of “Business, Badges,
Investigation spurred by the Con- this investigation exposed just ommendations to address these And The Bible” To Bring “Order To
gresswoman was conducted by how extensive the problem is,” failures by the Postal Service: The Border”
Postal Service’s Office of Inspec- said Meng. “The Postal Service 1. Develop and implement a plan,
tor General following current has clearly not been doing enough including communication strategy
spike in mail theft throughout to fix the problem, especially with and available staff, for the timely (Continued from page 1) Republicans in a bitterly divided,
the borough mail stolen from green relay box- deployment and installation of election year congress.
es, and that is why it is crucial to mail theft initiatives nationwide. tive technology, cutting-edge “Democrats and Republi-
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D- implement the recommendations 2. Add the functionality to the tools, and “order at the border” cans in Washington must work
Queens) announced that the made by the Inspector General’s Collection Point Management to better protect our borders and together to pass bipartisan im-
U.S. Postal Service has agreed to office. From checks and credit System to differentiate between communities.” migration reform legislation to
implement the recommendations card statements to medication blue collection and high security “The U.S. faces an immigra- firmly secure our borders and
outlined in a new federal probe and personal items, everybody in collection boxes. tion crisis because too many establish clear, legal paths,” he
that revealed major mismanage- our borough is entitled to safely 3. Direct the Vice President, politicians have spent too many asserted.
ment in how the agency is ad- send and receive their mail. I will Delivery Operations to update years ‘weaponizing’ immigra- Suozzi said he was disap-
dressing the rise of mail theft in continue to keep up the pressure the Collection Point Management tion policy-fighting across the pointed when a bipartisan Senate
Queens. on postal officials, and make sure System to differentiate between aisle- but haven’t done a thing to deal struck last February between
The investigation – which was that the recommendations are blue collection and high security fix it,” declared Suozzi. Senators James Lankford (R-
the first ever probe into mail theft implemented.” collection boxes in the New York “My goal is to introduce bipar- OK), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ),
in Queens – was launched in Janu- The Office of Inspector General 2 district. tisan legislation this summer that and Chris Murphy (D-CT) was
ary by the Postal Service’s Office is an independent entity within 4. Reiterate arrow key security will 1) secure the border, 2) fix torpedoed by former President
of Inspector General after Meng the Postal Service. It oversees the policies and responsibilities to the broken and outdated asylum Donald Trump.
urged the agency to conduct the integrity and efficiency of the na- managers and supervisors in system, and 3) treat people like “You’ve got to keep on working.
audit. The results were released in tion’s postal system, ensuring the Queens, NY. human beings,” he announced. There’s an old expression: ‘Don’t
a report in late May and it found accountability and transparency 5. Require the New York 2 Dis- Suozzi has visited the southern mourn—organize,’” Suozzi ral-
numerous issues with the deploy- of postal operations. trict Manager to confirm all arrow border three times, meeting with lied. “It’s hard. Getting this done
ment and installation of mail theft The green relay boxes are used keys are added to the inventory in border patrol agents, local law is hard work, but I have made
mitigation initiatives throughout to store mail and are located next the Retail and Delivery Analytics enforcement officials, mayors, this my number one priority. I
the borough. It also provided sev- to many of the blue collection and Reports system. businesses, and nonprofits. “It’s am going to build this coalition,”
eral recommendations to improve boxes throughout Queens. 6. Require the New York 2 not working,” Suozzi says. he added.
the situation, and Meng last month Specific findings of the in- District Manager to establish “The present immigration In May, when Suozzi realized
called for these recommendations vestigation disclosed that local procedures to complete annual system is hopelessly outdated. that Congress was not going to
to be implemented in letters she postal facilities failed to track and safety inspections, remediate The original asylum process pass the Senate’s bipartisan legis-
sent to the head of the Postal secure keys to green relay boxes. deficiencies, and document the was created during the ‘cold lation, he worked with Congress-
Service, U.S. Postmaster General Nor did these facilities properly results for blue collection and war.’ The United States Refugee man Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) to
Louis DeJoy, and the district man- track and deploy the installation green relay boxes. Act of 1980 when America was call on President Biden to take
ager overseeing postal operations of high-security boxes and elec- 7. Develop a process to define happy to provide a safe haven to executive action.
in Queens, John Tortorice. In tronic locks – technologies that roles, responsibilities, and fre- ‘individuals fleeing persecution In June, Suozzi welcomed the
response to her correspondence, are designed to better protect blue quency for inspecting green relay in the Soviet Union, Cuba, and President’s executive orders on
the Postal Service replied telling collection boxes and green relay boxes, and to record and track the other communist and authoritar- bringing “order to the border”
Meng that it will implement the boxes. Furthermore, they failed location and condition of green ian regimes,’” Suozzi explained. and work permits for undocu-
recommendations. to maintain the condition of col- relay boxes. As Co-Chair of the newly mented spouses of U.S. citizens,
“For more than two years, I lection and relay boxes including The target implementation formed Democrats for Border Se- many of whom have lived in
have pushed the Postal Service to those with cracks and gaps in dates for the recommendations curity Task Force, Suozzi faces a America for their whole lives.
do more to combat the rampant the doors that contributed to the range from October 2024 to April daunting challenge: To find com- “Now Congress must, after 30
mail theft that Queens residents persistent theft. 2025, and officials are now work- mon ground with Democrats and years, finally act!” Suozzi said.
have been forced to endure, and The report makes seven rec- ing to make these changes.

Attorney General James Stops Four School Bus Mayor Adams Community Op-Ed:
Companies From Illegal Idling And Polluting At Fighting For Safer, Cleaner Streets
Bus Yards In New York City Communities
(Continued from page 2) times cheaper than what you
Bus Companies Will Invest Up will also install automatic idling York State Department of Envi- could expect to spend at a store.
to $2 Million to Electrify Buses shut-off timers on their remaining ronmental Conservation (DEC) as area who may need connections For half a century, New York
and Curb Air Pollution from traditional buses and implement potential “environmental justice to services, such as housing or City’s most valuable and limited
Excessive Idling in Low-Income anti-idling training for drivers. areas,” or neighborhoods that are medical care, and make referrals resource — our public space —
Communities and Communities “School bus companies play an disproportionately impacted by to the appropriate city agency or has been hijacked by 14 billion
of Color important role in getting children environmental harms such as air service provider. pounds of stinky, leaking black
to and from school safely, but they pollution. The companies’ bus Similar coalitions across the trash bags every year. Together,
New York Attorney Gen- should be able to do so without yards are sometimes clustered city are already at work making we are changing that. Thanks to
eral Letitia James has announced polluting our communities,” said together in these neighborhoods, our neighborhoods safer and our our administration’s efforts, as
settlements with four school bus Attorney General James. “New which exacerbates their negative streets cleaner. Our administra- of November 12th, we will have
companies to stop illegal exces- Yorkers are already suffering the impacts on the surrounding com- tion is committed to supporting containerized 70 percent of our
sive idling at their bus yards in health consequences of air pollu- munity. their work and leading the way city’s trash in just two years;
communities of color and low- tion, and these bus companies all New York law prohibits idling in the fight for cleaner streets that’s nearly 10 billion pounds of
income communities in Brooklyn, operate bus yards in low-income for over five minutes, while New and against rats. I have long trash off our streets.
Queens, the Bronx, and on Staten communities and communities of York City law prohibits idling been clear: I hate rats. And so do As part of the ‘Trash Revolu-
Island. The companies—Con- color that are already bearing the for more than three minutes, or New Yorkers. That is why our tion,’ we have changed set-out
solidated Bus, Inc. (Consolidated), disproportionate impacts of this one minute when the vehicle is administration has been ready to times for residential and commer-
Logan Bus Company (Logan), pollution. We must do everything near a school building. The OAG do whatever it takes to cut them cial waste, so trash doesn’t sit on
Pioneer Transportation Co. (Pio- we can to protect the health of our investigation focused on instances off from their all-you-can-eat our streets for hours on end. We
neer), and Total Transportation children and our planet, and my of idling for periods of more than buffet. We have made enormous have designed a brand-new model
Corp. (Total)—will each be re- office will always fight against two hours in the early morning to progress replacing black trash of garbage truck years ahead of
quired to invest up to $2 million environmental injustice.” rule out instances where extended bags that have long cluttered our schedule. And we have a plan to
to purchase new electric buses Data provided by the fleet idling might be allowed under the streets and fed rats. get containerization done for ev-
or electrify some of their current management system that the New law due to other circumstances, This week, we announced the ery building and every business
fleet. The Office of the Attorney York City Department of Educa- such as traffic or picking up and next step in our ‘Trash Revolu- in New York City.
General (OAG) alleges that these tion (NYCDOE) has installed on dropping off students. tion’ to get bags off our streets. We came into office with the
four companies violated New all New York City school buses in- Emissions from cars, trucks, Starting November 12th, build- clear goal of improving public
York laws by allowing school dicated that the companies had all and buses are one of the leading ings with one to nine residential safety, rebuilding our economy,
buses to idle for extended periods repeatedly exceeded idling limits. sources of air pollution in New units will be required to put their and making New York City more
of time at their bus yards. Emis- The data revealed thousands of York state. Idling is a significant trash into wheelie trash bins livable for all New Yorkers. We
sions from buses and cars are the instances of excessive idling by source of these emissions, with an for easy removal. And to make are making improvements that
largest contributor to air pollution Consolidated, Logan, Pioneer, estimated 130,000 tons of carbon sure that cost is not a barrier for New Yorkers feel every day. And
in New York, and excessive idling and Total at their bus yards. Most dioxide emitted in New York building owners, we had our own every step we take — whether it’s
endangers the health of surround- of these bus yards, which are in City alone each year. Emissions bins made. These bins are high- driving down crime or improving
ing communities. By contrast, the Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, from diesel-powered vehicles like quality and affordable, with the quality of life — is in service of
new electric buses will not emit and on Staten Island, are located most common size costing less creating a safer, more livable city
any air pollutants. The companies in areas identified by the New (Continued on page 8) than $50 — approximately three for everyone.