JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)– The U.S. Postal Service is imposing a five-month moratorium on closing facilities, meaning five Alaska post offices are safe for now.
Agency spokesman Ernie Swanson said Tuesday that the waiting period, set to end in May, will give Congress time to act on “relief” for the agency. A bill aimed at overhauling the cash-strapped postal service is pending in the Senate.
During the moratorium which was praised by Alaska's senators the agency will continue to study potential closures.
Swanson added that the delay “doesn't change anything really but the timeline.”
In July, the postal service said it would study more than 3,600 offices for possible closure, including 36 in Alaska. Under pressure from the state's congressional delegation, it eventually removed all but five Alaska offices from consideration, since they generally were in remote communities not connected to a road system
The five remaining offices include the Anchorage Postal Store and offices in Douglas, at Elmendorf and Eielson Air Force bases and at Fort Wainwright.
Sen. Mark Begich, in a meeting Monday that included the postmaster general, expressed concerns with how post office closures would affect Alaska communities and cost jobs. Begich said he's committed to ensuring the success of the postal service and wants to work on reform measures before the moratorium ends.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she asked that the agency take a “thoughtful” approach to weighing closures and that it understands Alaska's geography is different than that of the Lower 48. She said she's pleased the postal service has heard the concerns that she and others have raised, but she noted the importance for the agency to remain solvent.
“I hope this delay allows Congress to negotiate and pass a comprehensive, long-term solution for the postal service's financial stability,” she said.
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