Automotive: Wyoming seeks to phase out EV sales by 2035

As the state of California and others move to phase out the sale of internal-combustion-powered passenger vehicles, the state of Wyoming has announced it’s moving a different direction with plans to phase out EV sales by the 2035 calendar year.

The new state senate joint resolution (no. SJ0004) is titled “Phasing Out New Electric Vehicle Sales by 2035,” and was introduced last Friday with support from members of the Wyoming House of Representatives and Senate.

The resolution lays out a number of justifications for phasing out EV sales, the most prominent of which is Wyoming’s reliance on oil and gas production. Although Wyoming is the least-populace state in the U.S., it’s also one of the biggest producers of crude oil.

“WHEREAS, the United States has consistently invested in the oil and gas industry to sustain gas-powered vehicles, and that investment has resulted in the continued employment of thousands of people in the oil and gas industry in Wyoming and throughout the country,” the resolution states.

The EV sales resolution goes on to state that Wyoming’s “vast stretches of highway” and lack of EV charging infrastructure make electric vehicles impractical, while adding that widespread EV adoption would necessitate “massive amounts of new power generation in order to sustain the misadventure of electric vehicles.” The resolution states that fossil fuels will be vital for the transportation of goods and people across Wyoming and the U.S. for years to come.

Finally, the resolution states that EV production relies on critical minerals that are vulnerable to disruption, and that EV batteries “are not easily recyclable or disposable,” and thus landfills will require development to safely dispose of a supposed influx of EV battery waste.

Critically, the resolution isn’t an outright ban on EV sales. Rather, it “encourages” Wyoming industry and citizens limit EV sales, with the eventual goal of phasing out new EV sales by 2035.