A group of Republican Wyoming lawmakers have introduced a bill that would supposedly phase out the sale of electric vehicles in the state by 2035, claiming that the move will help safeguard oil and gas industries.
The move comes as states are beginning to phase out fossil fuels by 2035 and some are going as far as banning the sale of new gas powered vehicles.
“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,” the bill, sponsored by Senator Jim Anderson and co-sponsored by five other GOP legislators, reads.
Anderson claims that he introduced the bill “to push back against bans on new sales of cars with internal combustion engines in states like California and New York.”
But as with everything, the devil is in the details. Anderson admits that he doesn’t have a problem with electric vehicles and that he doesn’t actually want the sale of electric vehicles phased out. Anderson reportedly told the Washington Post that the reason he introduced the bill was because he “(had) a problem with somebody saying, ‘Don’t buy any more petroleum vehicles,’” Anderson said, adding that he introduced the bill “just to get the message out that we’re not happy with the states that are outlawing our vehicles.”
Sections 1 and 2 of the bill makes it clear that the “ban” on new electric vehicles by 2035 doesn’t actually have any teeth to it, and is simply a protest against states like California and those following their lead.
- Section 1. That the legislature encourages and expresses as a goal that the sale of new electric vehicles in the state of Wyoming be phased out by 2035.
- Section 2. That the legislature encourages Wyoming’s industries and citizens to limit the sale and purchase of new electric vehicles in Wyoming with a goal of phasing out the sale of new electric vehicles in Wyoming by 2035.