Lawmakers in the Wyoming state legislature are pushing against the national trend by attempting to slow electric vehicle (EV) sales in the state, in order to support the oil industry.
Key Details
- Six Republican lawmakers in Wyoming sponsored a non-binding resolution on Friday to phase out EV production in the state and limit their use.
- “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,” says the bill.
- The bill notes that banning EVs will help protect the state’s oil and gas industries, protect jobs, engage in commerce more efficiently, and notes the lack of EV charging infrastructure in the state. It also dismisses EV battery disposal as dangerous and that resource mining is disruptive.
- “Phasing out the sale of new electric vehicles in Wyoming by 2035 will ensure the stability of Wyoming’s oil and gas industry and help preserve the country’s critical minerals for vital purposes,” it says.
Why It’s News
The Wyoming legislator’s move stands in stark contrast to the overall direction of the global economy. As we reported yesterday, the global economy is widely pushing toward the mass adoption of EVs as a replacement for gas-powered vehicles. The U.S. is looking to phase out gas-powered vehicle production by 2035, and some states, like California, have gone as far as to outlaw production after that date.
“Since it is non-binding, it serves more than anything as a symbolic criticism against EV-friendly states like California that plan to phase out conventional cars that use petroleum distillates refined from oil sourced in states like Wyoming. Furthermore, the resolution pushes back against President Biden’s federal EV tax credits, which entered into effect this year and threatened to undermine further demand for crude, whose local production has helped create well-paying jobs in Wyoming for a century,” Fortune notes.
Notable Quote
“We are concerned about numerous states that have asked to discontinue petroleum-powered vehicles—not just gas, diesel also—in their state by 2035. We want to show support for our basic Wyoming industries: gas, oil, and the extraction and processing of those products. We just wanted to make this statement since there seems to be a movement nationwide to eliminate our vehicles. [Wyoming has been hurt] a lot by the [Biden] administration, because they have eliminated any new applications for drilling,” says State Senator Jim Anderson.
