WASHINGTON D.C. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, continued providing public and industry input to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in opposition to their proposals to eliminate over 80 rural post offices in Montana, along with the consolidation of mail processing centers in the state.  In addition to thousands of public comments previously submitted, Rehberg recently contacted Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe detailing concerns expressed by the Montana Newspaper Association (MNA) in a letter to the Montana Congressional Delegation.

“This Post Office fight is bigger than a question of convenience for Montanans who rely on the mail for their civic participation in their government,” said Rehberg.  “We’re not going to let up on the pressure simply because the Postal Service delayed these decisions another 5 months.  It’s going to be so important to show the Post Office the importance of these locations.  Whether it’s casting an absentee ballot on election day or staying informed of the news through local newspaper delivery, there are plenty of good reasons to keep these post offices up and running. Rural communities should not have to shoulder an unfair amount of what should be a shared burden.”

Rehberg reached out to the Montana Newspaper Association and some of its members after hearing testimony from MNA Executive Director John Barrows at a recent meeting in Missoula on the possible closure of processing centers in Missoula and Kalispell.  Under the proposal, mail currently processed at those centers would be shipped to the Spokane, WA center then shipped back to Montana for delivery.  Montana weekly papers would possibly suffer a loss in advertising and subscription revenue due to the possible addition of 2 or more days for delivery.  For some Montana newspapers, upwards of 50-percent of their distribution is out of county.

“I’ve heard concerns from some Montana weekly papers that it will be harder to cover timely events, or carry timely advertisements, and meeting or legal notices, and generally cause a devaluation of their product,” said Rehberg. “In most cases, the weekly papers are the local post offices’ biggest customers, and closures and consolidations will not only affect the papers, their readers, and main street businesses, but also cause a great loss of revenue for the post office.  This is an impact the Post Office needs to take into full consideration.”

Rehberg has collected over 4,000 public comments through his “Mail Call Montana” initiative, and delivered the comments to USPS.  Rehberg’s letter to Postmaster Donahoe also expressed concern about the impact the proposed closures would have on businesses that hold current air mail contracts with USPS.

Rehberg’s letter to Postmaster Donahoe is below:

Dear Postmaster General Donahoe:

I am writing to address the recent announcement by the United States Postal Service (USPS) that any decision on the closure of post offices and mail processing centers will be delayed until May of 2012.  I would also like to address the impact the proposed closures of the distribution centers will have on the businesses that serve our state.

As I have expressed to you many times, I have strong reservations that over 85 post offices and several mail processing centers in Montana are even under consideration for closure in the first place.  I’m afraid that the 5-month moratorium is simply another example of the federal government kicking an issue down the road to be dealt with at a later time, and the fact that the Postal Service stated they will “continue all necessary steps required for the review of these facilities during the interim period” leads me to believe that you have every intention of moving forward with closures at the end of the moratorium.  Meanwhile, our postal service employees and the citizens of our towns are left in the exact same position they are in now – uncertain about the fate of their jobs and their community’s link to the rest of the state and the country.

Recently, the Postal Service conducted two community meetings; one in Missoula and one in Kalispell, to gauge community reaction to the proposed closures of area mail processing centers in those cities.

As you can imagine, the individuals and businesses that rely on the timely delivery of their mail are extremely concerned with the proposed plan of trucking mail to Spokane, Washington for sorting and then trucking the mail back to Montana for distribution.  Anyone with a map and a general knowledge of Western weather patterns knows that this route is difficult even in the most mild weather, and will certainly add time onto the delivery of mail and packages.

John Barrows, Executive Director for the Montana Newspaper Association, in his letter to the Montana Congressional delegation, gives a strong example of how the distribution centers serve businesses – community and weekly newspapers – that depend on timely service, and how their business will be affected significantly by the closure of the Kalispell and Missoula distribution centers.

Barrows wrote, “Montana is a huge state… with many under-populated areas… and the consolidation of Distribution Centers is going to raise havoc. For instance, a Helena-area paper publishes a paper… for a Hamilton subscriber…  First it is picked up, by Noon, sent to Great Falls. Then it is sent to Spokane, Washington, then finally back to Hamilton.  At the best it would take several days, perhaps as much as a week.”

And finally, I also wanted to take this opportunity to express my concern about the impact that the proposed closure of mail processing centers would have on businesses that hold current air mail contracts with the United States Postal Service and continue to serve the state of Montana.  I want to ensure that USPS adheres to every contract and takes steps to ensure that they will continue to be able to serve the state at the highest level of service.

As I have stated previously, I appreciate the challenges the United States Postal Service faces.  But it’s vital that you recognize our state’s rural nature and needs.  Montanans are willing to be part of the solution, but any changes in the system should not mean one day of decreased mail delivery services. 

I appreciate your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,