The Wyoming legislature is considering a measure to phase out new electric car sales by 2035.
A group of politicians led by Senator Jim Anderson submitted a Senate Joint Resolution that calls for people and companies to voluntarily limit the sale and purchase of EVs to eliminate them by 2035. The resolution, if carried, would be totally symbolic.
In reality, rather than simply banning the vehicles, it’s more about sending a signal to EV advocates. The resolution’s last section instructs Wyoming’s secretary of state to submit copies of the resolution to California Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President Biden, claiming that the “proud and cherished” oil and gas industry in Wyoming has generated “countless” jobs and brought in money for the state’s treasury.
The resolution said that Wyoming would need to develop “large amounts of extra power generation” to “sustain the misadventure of electric cars” and that widespread use of EVs would be “impracticable” due to the state’s lack of charging infrastructure.
“One might even say tongue-in-cheek, but obviously, it’s a very serious issue that deserves some public discussion,” Senator Boner, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told the Cowboy State Daily.
“I’m interested in making sure that the solutions that some folks want to the so-called climate crisis are actually practical in real life. I just don’t appreciate when other states try to force technology that isn’t ready,”
While the resolution seems to be a political sideshow, it alludes to actual economic hardship. Wyoming was the eighth-largest crude oil producer in the US in 2021, with an output of 85.43 million barrels. In addition, one of the largest wind farms in the US is located in the state’s Carbon County.
One topic related to climate change that is rarely discussed is how the world may adequately transition to a zero-emissions economy. People in many rural areas in the United States are naturally sceptical of green technology since they haven’t gained as much from recent technical advancements as their metropolitan counterparts.
For instance, consider the emergence of the internet. 2018 research by Microsoft revealed that many rural areas lack access to broadband internet. The economic prospects in certain areas have decreased as a result of this.