A group of Republican state lawmakers in Wyoming introduced a bill to ban the sale of electric vehicles.
The bill, sponsored by six legislators, hopes to ban electric vehicle sales by 2035.
The measure notes oil and gas production “has long been one of Wyoming’s proud and valued industries.”
It continues, “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.”
According to the bill, “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.”
Additionally, the legislators argue 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.”
The bill suggests the electric 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.”
The legislators state they encourage “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.”
On the other hand, other states are attempting to ban gas-powered vehicles.
As of August, 17 other states were following in California’s footsteps in banning the vehicles, as ABC News noted.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) reacted to the news of California’s move in a tweet.
“This is a critical milestone in our climate fight. Washington set in law a goal for all new car sales to be zero emissions by 2030 and we’re ready to adopt California’s regs by end of this year,” Inslee tweeted.
We look forward to partnering with California and the Biden Administration to quickly eliminate our country’s #1 source of GHG emissions.
— Governor Bob Ferguson (@GovBobFerguson) August 24, 2022
He added, “We look forward to partnering with California and the Biden Administration to quickly eliminate our country’s #1 source of GHG emissions.”
