Wyo. GOP Considers Declaring War on Electric Vehicles to Protect Gas – Rolling Stone

Republicans in Wyoming’s state senate are considering a resolution banning new electric vehicle sales in the state by 2035, an answer to California and New York states’ recent laws that would bar the sale of gas-powered vehicles in those states by the same year.

“The Legislature would be saying, ‘If you don’t like our petroleum cars, well, we don’t like your electric cars,’” said the resolution’s sponsor, Republican State Sen. Jim Anderson, Cowboy State Daily reported.

The Wyoming resolution, “Phasing Out New Electric Vehicle Sales By 2035,” is largely a symbolic gesture, as it would not be legally binding if passed. But Wyoming Republicans still think it’s important enough to consider passing, even if only to troll Democratic states that favor electric vehicles.

The bill states that “oil and gas production has long been one of Wyoming’s proud and valued industries” and has generated “countless jobs” and “contributed revenues” to the state. It goes on to say that Wyoming’s “vast stretches of highway, coupled with a lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure” would make “widespread use of electric vehicles impracticable.”

“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,” GOP co-sponsor Sen. Brian Boner said, according to Cowboy State Daily. “I just don’t appreciate when other states try to force technology that isn’t ready.”

Boner even acknowledged the resolution’s trolling nature. “One might even say tongue-in-cheek,” Boner said of the resolution, adding, “But obviously it’s a very serious issue that deserves some public discussion.”