Banning Electric Vehicles

Western governments around the world are touting the "fact" that the best answer to slowing or stopping global climate change is to implement a complete and mandatory transition to electric vehicles.  Of course, you'll never hear about the potential negative environmental issues associated with this transition, however, one state in America has taken a completely oppositional approach to the issue.

 

Legislators in the State of Wyoming have proposed Senate Joint Resolution SJ0004 "Phasing out new electric vehicle sales by 2035".  The Bill is sponsored by Senator Jim Anderson (R) and co-sponsored by Senators Brian Boner (R), Ed Cooper (R) and Dan Dockstader (R) and Representatives Donald Burkhart (R) and Henderson.

 

As background, Wyoming is a fairly significant producer of oil:

 

...which puts it in eighth place overall among all states...

  

...and natural gas:

 

 

Let's take a detailed look at SJ004.  Here is a screen capture of the bill's first few lines:

 

 

Now, let's look at the reasoning behind the bill:

 

"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."

  

Here are the resolutions of the bill:

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.

 

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.

 

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.

The Bill has been referred to the Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee for deliberation.  Given that the Wyoming House of Representatives is currently made up of 57 Republicans and 5 Democrats and the Wyoming Senate is made up of 29 Republicans and 2 Democrats, SJ0004 does actually stand a chance of becoming law.

  

It is pretty hard to argue with the logic of the reasoning behind SJ0004 from the perspective of any advantages to Wyoming's economy that a switch to electric vehicles will bring.  While it is highly unlikely in the current climate change fear-mongering environment, it will be interesting to see if other jurisdictions that rely on fossil fuels for their economic health will follow Wyoming's lead and, at the least, restrict the sale of electric vehicles now and into the future or at least until the environmental impact of EVs is better understood.