The legislature in Wyoming is proposing a resolution for a voluntary ‘phase-out’ of electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2035, in a symbolic move aimed at supporting the state’s oil and gas industry and a response to states such as California and New York, which have said they would ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars from 2035.
The SJ0004 resolution, ‘Phasing out new electric vehicle sales by 2035’, is introduced by a group of Republican Senators led by Jim Anderson, and says that “phasing out the sale of new electric vehicles in Wyoming by 2035 will ensure the stability of Wyoming’s oil and gas industry and will help preserve the country’s critical minerals for vital purposes.”
“The Legislature would be saying, ‘If you don’t like our petroleum cars, well, we don’t like your electric cars,’” Senator Anderson told Cowboy State Daily, commenting on the proposed resolution.
The resolution calls for people in Wyoming to voluntarily reduce the purchase and use of EVs, but it would be symbolic if passed by the legislature.
Brian Boner, another Wyoming Senator and the co-sponsor of the resolution, told Cowboy State Daily, “I’m interested in making sure that the solutions that some folks want to the so-called climate crisis are actually practical in real life.”
“I just don’t appreciate when other states try to force technology that isn’t ready.”
The sponsors of the resolution say that Wyoming’s grid infrastructure and charging stations cannot handle a surge in EV use unless massive investments are made. They also argue that the critical metals in EV batteries are not easily found and recycled.
Wyoming was the eighth-largest crude oil-producing state in the nation in 2021, accounting for slightly more than 2% of U.S. crude oil output, according to the EIA. The state was also the ninth-largest natural gas producer, and accounted for about 3% of U.S. marketed gas production in 2021.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
