Wyoming Republicans Propose Electric Car Ban

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What a world we live in. Thanks to the magic of the internet and social media, we the people can divide ourselves into bitterly divided camps on any issue imaginable in nanoseconds. Wyoming, the least populated state in America with 600,000 inhabitants scattered across almost 100,000 square miles, is a place where people may drive a hundred miles or more to buy a cup of coffee or a quart of milk and think nothing of it. It is so vast that there can be 100 miles between gas stations and the odds of finding an electric car charger are slim.

The state of California has decided it wants to phase out the sale of light duty vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel engines by 2035. 14 other states have adopted California’s vehicle emissions rules, which means they also are considering a similar phase out plan. Oregon and Washington recently committed to a similar sales ban. But members of the Republican-controlled Wyoming legislature think such a ban is silly. In fact, they are presently considering a bill known as SJ0004 that would ban electric car sales by 2035. That THAT, you weak kneed, lily livered liberals! For your reading pleasure, here is the bill in its entirety.

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A JOINT RESOLUTION expressing support for phasing out the sale of new electric vehicles in Wyoming by 2035.

WHEREAS, oil and gas production has long been one of Wyoming’s proud and valued industries; and

WHEREAS, the oil and gas industry in Wyoming has created countless jobs and has contributed revenues to the state of Wyoming throughout the state’s history; and

WHEREAS, since its invention, the gas-powered vehicle has enabled the state’s industries and businesses to engage in commerce and transport goods and resources more efficiently throughout the country; and

WHEREAS, 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; and

WHEREAS, the batteries used in electric vehicles contain critical minerals whose domestic supply is limited and at risk for disruption; and

WHEREAS, the critical minerals used in electric batteries are not easily recyclable or disposable, meaning that municipal landfills in Wyoming and elsewhere will be required to develop practices to dispose of these minerals in a safe and responsible manner; and

WHEREAS, the expansion of electric vehicle charging stations in Wyoming and throughout the country necessary to support more electric vehicles will require massive amounts of new power generation in order to sustain the misadventure of electric vehicles; and

WHEREAS, the United States has consistently invested in the oil and gas industry to sustain gas-powered vehicles, and that investment has resulted in the continued employment of thousands of people in the oil and gas industry in Wyoming and throughout the country; and

WHEREAS, fossil fuels, including oil and petroleum products, will continue to be vital for transporting goods and people across Wyoming and the United States for years to come; and

WHEREAS, the proliferation of electric vehicles at the expense of gas-powered vehicles will have deleterious impacts on Wyoming’s communities and will be detrimental to Wyoming’s economy and the ability for the country to efficiently engage in commerce; and

WHEREAS, 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.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING:

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.

Section 3. That the Secretary of State of Wyoming transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, each member of Wyoming’s congressional delegation, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the governor of Wyoming and the governor of California.

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Wyoming Doesn’t Want Electric Cars

The Washington Post reached out to Wyoming senator Jim Anderson, the primary sponsor of the bill, to find out what in tarnation is going on out there in the Cowboy State. “I don’t have a problem with electric vehicles at all,” Anderson told the Post, and added that anyone who wants to buy an electric vehicle should have the freedom to do so. Why, several of his friends and family members have them.

What put a burr under his saddle was California’s announcement last August to proceed with a ban on sales of new vehicles powered by infernal combustion engines by 2035. “I have 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.”

Fair enough. Reasonable people can and should disagree on how to prevent an alteration to the Earth’s climate that will inundate most world cities with sea water and make human life virtually impossible for billions of people. Perhaps all those fancy-schmantzy yacht clubs that dot the West Coast of America will relocate to Casper if the flooding gets severe enough, creating new jobs for the lucky few who live in Wyoming.

What isn’t fair is for supposedly responsible people (we ASSUME our elected officials qualify for that distinction) to distort and misstate the truth of the matter. Debate is one thing. Lies and distortions are something else again, especially when accurate information is so easily available today. But some people prefer to live in ignorance and wallow in the way things used to be. Jim Anderson doesn’t care to shatter his ignorance about recycling electric car batteries. He prefers to spread misinformation instead. Ignorance can be cured by the application of new information. There is no cure for stupidity,.

“Electric cars are of great benefit to Wyoming,” Marc Geller, a spokesperson for the Electric Vehicle Association, tells the Washington Post. Instead of banning electric cars, he suggested “maybe we should ban all cars and go back to horses.” [Note: at CleanTecnnica, we like horses and would never suggest anything that would interfere with every child’s dream of someday owning a pony.]

Wyoming will receive nearly $24 million over five years from the federal government to improve charging infrastructure along Interstates 80, 25, and 90. If Jim Anderson really wants to protect his constituents from the electric car scourge, he should introduce a bill to send all that lovely money back to the federal treasury. There are lots of other states that would be only too happy to use that money for its intended purpose.