{Washington, D.C.}...The U.S. Postal Service says it can no longer wait for Congress to decide how to cut postal costs, so it is moving ahead with plans to close dozens of mail processing centers. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe says postal operations are simply too big given declining mail volume. The agency will consolidate 140 mail processing centers within the next year, including 48 this August. Most will occur next January and February, and another 89 will close in 2014. Consolidations include the Bluefield, Wheeling, Petersburg and Parkersburg processing facilities. The Charleston processing facility will take over the work for Bluefield and Parkersburg while Petersburg's processing work will move to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and Wheeling's center to Pittsburgh. Other processing centers, including the one in Clarksburg, appear targeted for closing by February 2014. The Postal Service had previously planned to close 252 mail processing centers beginning this summer but was awaiting congressional action.
