Hawaii and Alaska denied mail delivery hearings

Postal regulators are denying a request to hold public hearings in Hawaii and Alaska on a proposal to eliminate Saturday mail delivery.

Postal Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Ruth Goldway wrote Wednesday in a letter to Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka that the commission isn’t able to schedule another hearing in Hawaii after holding seven hearings in continental U.S. cities.

Akaka and Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye said in a statement Thursday they’re disappointed in the commission’s decision because mainland hearings “bear little relevance to the concerns of the people of Alaska and Hawaii” because residents depend on mail delivery for basic and necessary items.

Goldway invited Akaka to testify at commission hearings in Washington later this summer.