Thune, Rounds, Johnson: Don’t close Huron, Sioux Falls mail processing centers

South Dakota’s congressional delegation opposes the potential shuttering of two South Dakota mail processing facilities.

Republican Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, along with Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson, sent a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy asking him to reconsider moving mail processing out of Sioux Falls and Huron.

The recommendation was finalized in February “without taking into account local concerns,” according to a press release from Rounds.

If the postal service follows through, Rapid City will be the only remaining processing facility in South Dakota. A press release from Johnson’s office says moving operations from Sioux Falls to Omaha and from Huron to Fargo would be inefficient and cause delays for South Dakotans.

“This move will require any mail sent from Sioux Falls to Chamberlain, for example, to go all the way to Omaha then back over to Chamberlain, a 500-mile journey,” Johnson said in a press release.

In the joint letter to DeJoy, the officials say they understand the importance of modernization and streamlining at the postal service, but that “such changes should not come at the expense of rural and highly rural populations in South Dakota or similar states.”

The letter also mentions that postal customer service centers in Pierre, Mobridge and Aberdeen were closed in 2012, which forced the rerouting of local mail and packages. Closing the Sioux Falls and Huron facilities would create delays, particularly during South Dakota’s harsh winters, the letter says, and additional transportation costs could cancel out any cost savings from the closures.

Read the full letter below.