The One State That Wants To Make Electric Vehicles Illegal
Wyoming is supporting legislation that calls for the total phase-out of electric vehicles by 2035.
The production of electric vehicles is ramping up nationwide, complete with ambitious production and sales goals. But one state is fighting back against the rapid rate of change. Wyoming made news on Monday, thanks to a newly proposed bill targeting EV sales.
Six state legislatures proposed Senate Joint Resolution No. SJ0004 last week and it quickly made waves. According to the bill’s text, it is “A JOINT RESOLUTION expressing support for phasing out the sale of new electric vehicles in Wyoming by 2035.” Yes, you read that right.
While the rest of the country is barreling forward toward electric vehicles, Wyoming may choose to step out of the race. The logic behind the bill is fairly straightforward. And there are three main arguments in favor of it.
First and foremost, the proposed resolution expresses firm support for Wyoming’s oil and gas industry. It has provided countless jobs and brought significant revenue into the state. Additionally, the state’s farm and ranch communities rely heavily on gas-powered vehicles.
Wyoming is the nation’s 10th-largest state by area. But only roughly 578,000 people call its 97,814 square miles home. So, there is a lot of open space.
This expanse of land lies at the heart of the proposed resolution’s second argument against electric vehicles. It states, “Wyoming’s vast stretches of highway, coupled with a lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, make the widespread use of electric vehicles impracticable for the state.” But the lack of EV infrastructure on its often desolate roads is only part of the concern.
Additionally, the bill’s authors express concern for the very real possibility that the EV battery supply could be interrupted. That is due to the limited domestic production and reliance on non-domestically sourced minerals. And those mineral compounds, along with the batteries, as a whole, are not easily recyclable.
So the legislators are concerned about the burden on Wyoming’s landfills. But not just for the accumulation of electric vehicle components. They believe developing practices for the safe disposal of these parts will pose an undue burden on Wyoming businesses, which would be bad news for the economy.
According to Ars Technica, the proposed effective date (2035) “is no coincidence; 2035 is the year by which California wants to phase out sales of new internal combustion engine-powered vehicles. And that same year is when US President Joe Biden wants at least 50 percent of all new vehicles sold in the US to be EVs.” And the publication is likely right about that.
Rolling Stone quoted one of the sponsors saying, “If you don’t like our petroleum cars, well, we don’t like your electric cars.” They plan to submit a copy of the proposal to the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, the state’s congressional delegation, President Biden, and the governors of Wyoming and California. The latter suggests the resolution is in response to California’s outlawing gas-powered vehicles.
The resolution also recommends that companies and individuals refrain from purchasing electric vehicles. There is no news about when the proposal will go up for a vote. But it does stand a good chance of passing.
