Wyoming Lawmakers Seek to Ban EVs by 2035

A group of lawmakers in Wyoming have introduced a bill aimed at phasing out the sale of new electric vehicles in the state by 2035.

Senate Joint Resolution 4, which is co-sponsored by several Republican state senators, was written to ensure the stability of Wyoming’s “proud and valued” oil and gas production industry. Senator Jim Anderson told the Cowboy State Daily that the bill is designed to push back against measures banning internal combustion vehicles in states including California and New York.

“The Legislature would be saying, ‘If you don’t like our petroleum cars, well, we don’t like your electric cars,’” Anderson told the publication.

In addition to seeking to protect Wyoming’s oil and gas industry, the bill also claims it will help the state avoid dealing with the recycling or disposal of metals and minerals used to produce EVs. The bill also cites a lack of EV charging infrastructure and a reluctance to provide the power needed for EV chargers as reasons to ban new electric vehicle sales.

However, the lawmakers who introduced the bill admitted that it’s largely a symbolic action. Senator Bryan Boner, who co-sponsored the bill, referred to the legislation as “tongue-in-cheek” but hoped the bill might spark more public discourse on electric vehicles.

Last year, California passed legislation that bans the sale of internal combustion vehicles in the state by 2035. The new law was designed to accelerate the production and sale of low- to zero-emission vehicles in the state. While the rules ban the sale of new gas cars, they don’t prevent consumers from continuing to drive or buy used gas-powered vehicles after 2035.

Wyoming is not the first state to take aim at electric vehicles with legislation geared toward limiting their sale or supporting infrastructure. North Carolina lawmakers last year introduced a bill to make sure businesses that provide free electric charging stations disclose to customers how they are helping to subsidize the costs. The bill also seeks to stop the use of public funds for building and operating EV charging stations.