Wyoming Republican legislators attempt to protect oil & gas by banning electric vehicles

A group of Republican lawmakers in Wyoming have launched an attempt to protect the oil and gas industries in their state by pushing for a ban on electric vehicles.

The group of six lawmakers in the Wyoming Senate have introduced a bill that aims to eliminate sales of electric vehicles in the state by 2035, in an apparent attempt to safeguard the wellbeing of oil and gas, which account for a large portion of the state’s revenue each year.

According to the bill, “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.”

The legislation alleges Wyoming’s long stretches of highway and lack of electric vehicle infrastructure make electric vehicles less useful in the state. 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,” the bill reads.

The new bill is a stark contrast to many other states in the country which are pushing to phase out gas and diesel vehicles to curb climate change and shift the nation to using predominantly clean energy.

To date, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have all adopted California’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Program, which aims to increase sales of electric vehicles in the next decade.

See also this editorial.