While more and more countries are committing to a ban on thermal cars within the next twenty years, several senators from the State of Wyoming have just tabled a bill to gradually eliminate the sale of electric cars on its territory by 2035. But behind this shocking announcement, there are actually serious concerns for this state, which lives mainly from oil and gas exploitation.
As you may know, many countries have made a commitment in recent years to end the marketing of thermal vehicles in favor of electric cars. This is for example the case of Europe, which in June 2022 formalized the ban on petrol and diesel cars in EU Member States from 2035.
Many car manufacturers have already started their energy transition to comply with this legislation, such as Renault, which is aiming for 100% electric by 2030 in France, or Volkswagen, which intends to stop the production of thermal vehicles by 2035. Some luxury brands have adopted similar initiatives, such as Porsche, which wants its fleet to be made up of 80% electric models by 2030.
In the United States, the Biden administration has also pledged that half of new cars manufactured will be electric by 2030. In the country of Uncle Sam, some states did not wait for this directive from the White House to take measures. In September 2020, California banned the sale of internal combustion cars starting in 2035, followed soon after by New York State.
The state of Wyoming does not want electric cars
Only, it should be noted that Washington has not yet introduced restrictive measures concerning electricity at the federal level. In fact, each State can decide whether or not to commit to this motorization. However, we have just learned that several senators from Wyoming have just tabled a bill to lead to a ban on the sale of electric cars on its territory by 2035.
The author of this legislation, Republican Senator Jim Anderson, told the Cowboy State Daily that he introduced this resolution “to push for bans on new sales of internal combustion engine cars in states like California or New York.”
The fear of electricity…
This resolution, entitled “Phase out sales of new electric vehicles by 2035″ was introduced (but not yet validated) this Friday, January 13 and already enjoys considerable support from members of the Wyoming House of Representatives and Senate. In this legislation, the senators justify their position according to several points. Thus, they are committed against electric motorization for the following reasons:
- Wyoming’s oil and gas industry created countless jobs and has brought revenue to the state of Wyoming throughout its history
- Since its invention, the gasoline-powered vehicle has enabled industries and state enterprises to trade and transport goods and resources across the country more efficiently
- the vast stretches of highways in Wyoming, associated with the lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, make the widespread use of electric vehicles impractical in the state
… from a State that lives mainly from oil exploitation
The senators also point the finger the difficult recycling of electric car batteries, especially because of the rare minerals used in their manufacture. Nevertheless, and as our colleagues from the InsideEVs site remind us, no less than 90% of current EV batteries are designed to be recycled. In addition, many specialist companies are already performing this task, both in the USA and in Europe.
Finally, the legislators ensure that the democratization of electric cars “will have deleterious effects on Wyoming communities and harm the economy” of State. It must be remembered that Wyoming is the 8th largest oil producer in the country. Knowing this, it is understandable that these political leaders have such serious concerns about electric motorization.
Be careful however, by reading sections 1 and 2 of the law, we see that it is a symbolic measure and not a real ban. Indeed, the legislative bodyencourages” only for industrialists and citizens of the state to limit the production and purchase of electric vehicles. In other words, everything seems to indicate that this measure was mainly designed to alert the federal authorities (the White House in the lead) on the legitimate concerns about the ecological transition of a state whose the economy is mainly based on oil exploitation.
Source : wyoleg.gov
