These Six GOP Lawmakers Want to Ban Electric Cars

In stark contrast to California—which is aiming to ban sales of gas cars by 2035 to combat climate change—a group of Republican lawmakers in Wyoming are looking to ban sales of electric vehicles (EVs) by 2035.

The joint resolution, introduced to the state's senate on January 13, argues the move will protect Wyoming's huge fossil-fuels industry as other U.S. states move towards electric-only vehicles.

According to the bill, "the proliferation of electric vehicles at the expense of gas-powered vehicles will have deleterious impacts on Wyoming's communities and will be detrimental to Wyoming's economy."

Oil and gas production "has long been one of Wyoming's proud and valued industries," the bill reads, adding that previous investment in the industry across the country "has resulted in the continued employment of thousands of people."

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Wyoming produces 13 times more energy than it consumes, making it the second-biggest supplier to other states after Texas. The least-populous state is the largest coal producer, the eighth-largest crude-oil producer and the ninth largest in terms of natural gas.

The bill was sponsored by state senator Jim Anderson, who, in 2022, was the chair of the state senate's Minerals, Business & Economic Development committee, as well as a member of other committees on transportation and energy.

Anderson was supported by state senators Brian Boner, Ed Cooper and Dan Dockstader, as well as state representatives Donald Burkhart Jr. and Bill Henderson.

While the bill is likely to pass in a Republican-dominant state Capitol, those putting it forward recognize that its intention is largely symbolic.

"One might even say tongue-in-cheek, but obviously it's a very serious issue that deserves some public discussion," Boner told the Cowboy State Daily, a local news outlet. "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."

"The Legislature would be saying: 'If you don't like our petroleum cars, well, we don't like your electric cars,'" Anderson said.

Perhaps telling of that tongue-in-cheek defiance of the 15 other states, including California, which have moved to outlaw new gasoline car sales, the final clause of the bill stipulates a copy be sent to Gavin Newsom, the Californian governor who brought in his state's ban in 2022.

As well as upholding the state's fossil-fuels industry, the bill also argues that Wyoming's vast highways and lack of EV-charging infrastructure make use of the vehicles "impracticable" and "will require massive amounts of new power generation in order to sustain the misadventure."

According to EIA figures, in July 2022, 79 percent of Wyoming's electricity supply came from coal-fired power plants, 12 percent from wind energy and 4 percent from natural gas—so while the state is not averse to renewables, its fossil-fuels sector would hardly lose out to higher electricity consumption brought on by widespread EV usage.

The bill also cautions that the minerals used in electric-vehicle batteries "are not easily recyclable or disposable," which would mean municipal landfills in Wyoming would have to develop safe disposal practices.

Lithium and cobalt—two of the key metals used in EV batteries—are toxic, and rates of lithium recycling are "close to zero," according to a 2020 World Bank Group report. Around 32 percent of cobalt is recycled.