Wyoming Lawmakers Advance Legislation to Ban Electric Vehicles

by Matt Posky

Published: January 17th, 2023

wyoming lawmakers advance legislation to ban electric vehicles

A group of Wyoming legislators, led by Republican state senator Jim Anderson, introduced a resolution last week to ban the sale of electric vehicles within the state by 2035. While Senate Joint Resolution 4 (SJ0004) notes how important the oil and gas industry happens to be for Wyoming, there’s no formal enforcement behind it because the group doesn’t actually want or expect it to pass – they’re just trying to make a point about the ridiculousness of EV mandates.

Supported by senators Brian Boner, Ed Cooper, and Dan Dockstader, as well as state House Representatives Donald Burkhart and Bill Henderson, the proposed legislation "Phasing out new electric vehicle sales by 2035" is basically a political spectacle designed to encourage people to ask questions about the readiness of EV charging infrastructures (especially in Wyoming), the current quality of all-electric vehicles, and the ramifications of internal combustion bans that are being plotted in other states.

“I don’t have a problem with electric vehicles at all,” Anderson told The Washington Post on Monday, adding that he felt anyone wanting to buy an EV should have the freedom to do so.

But he also said that should apply to gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.

“I have a problem with somebody saying, ‘Don’t buy any more petroleum vehicles,’” Anderson continued, noting that the proposal is designed to make people actually think about government mandates about what citizens can and cannot purchase with their own money.

As expected, the issue is already being heavily politicized in the media. The Washington Post attempted to explain why Wyoming’s cobalt reserves should make it easy to transition toward all-electric vehicles, Ars Technica claimed the legislative stunts were both “childish” and “pathetic,” and Fox Business focused on how mandating electric vehicles could upend Wyoming’s existing economy – which is heavily dependent on fossil fuels.

The legislation itself notes this, including passages that literally state “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.” However, this again is supposed to parody the language used in proposals to ban internal combustion vehicles.

"We are countering what California and Oregon have started with stopping sales of new petroleum vehicles," Anderson said on Monday. "We are very concerned about the source of minerals in countries with poor environmental laws, and we are very concerned about the disposal of the battery, which will be hazardous materials."

[Image: Ingo70/Shutterstock]

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Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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Daniel J on Jan 19, 2023

@Art - that really depends on the worth of the car. Do people junk cars needing transmission replacement on cars only 4 or 5 years old with less than 100K miles? Junking a car for battery replacement at 200K or 300K miles would seem acceptable, but stories where there are battery failures without warranty at less than 100K miles is not.

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95_SC on Jan 19, 2023

My coworkers BMW needed a 13,000 dollar transmission at under 100k. The car was not worth 13K. No it was not a crazy M series or anything. Just a nice 6 cylinder 3 Series. Batteries are quite robust for the most part. Teslas are now running half a million miles without issue. Those stories you seem to hear about batteries failing early and junking the car seem to be GM issues. Major components failing and sending cars to an early death is not new to them. How many Quad 4 powered Grand Am's had head gaskets land them in a junk yard in the timeframe you describe? Olds Diesels. Not just GM. How about the Powershift Transmission? Chrysler Ultradrive?

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