The legislature is currently considering a resolution that would phase out the sales of new electric vehicles (EVs) by 2035. The resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 4 (SJ4), has been introduced and is supported by members of both the state's House of Representatives and Senate.
The resolution, put forward by a group of lawmakers led by Senator Jim Anderson, cites Wyoming's "proud and valued" oil and gas industry as a major contributor to the state's economy and employment opportunities. The lawmakers argue that a lack of charging infrastructure within the state would make the widespread use of EVs "impracticable" and that the state would need to build "massive amounts of new power generation" to sustain the use of EVs.
SJ4 calls for residents and businesses to limit the sale and purchase of EVs voluntarily, with the goal of phasing them out entirely by 2035. The resolution would be purely symbolic, and its main purpose is to send a message to EV advocates rather than banning the vehicles altogether. The final section of SJ4 calls for Wyoming’s Secretary of State to send President Biden and California Governor Gavin Newsom copies of the resolution.
Senator Boner, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told the Cowboy State Daily, “I just don’t appreciate when other states try to force technology that isn’t ready.” The resolution alludes to genuine economic anxiety, as Wyoming is the country’s eighth-largest crude oil producer, with 85.43 million barrels of oil produced in 2021. The state's Carbon County is also home to one of the largest wind farms in the US.
While the resolution may appear to be a political stunt, it raises important questions about how the world can transition to a zero-emissions economy in an equitable way. Many rural US states, including Wyoming, have not benefited from recent technological shifts as much as their urban counterparts, leading to mistrust of so-called green technologies.
Source: Engadget, Cowboy State Daily
