Lawmakers' Resolution Puts End Date on EV Sales

Several Wyoming lawmakers want to send a message to the federal government and California about electric cars—by voting to phase out the sale of EVs in the state and sending copies of the resolution to President Biden and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Senate resolution, whose effect would be symbolic only, praises the jobs and tax revenue that the oil and gas industry has provided Wyoming, Engadget reports. And it argues that the state lacks the charging infrastructure to support EVs, adding that Wyoming would need to generate "massive amounts" of new power to "sustain the misadventure of electric vehicles."

The lawmakers want to take a shot at California because the state has done the opposite, by planning to end the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. "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," said Republican state Sen. Brian Boner, a Wyoming co-sponsor. "I just don't appreciate when other states try to force technology that isn't ready." The resolution says part of the problem is that batteries are "not easily recyclable or disposable," but PC Magazine says that's mistaken. "In fact, they can be rehabbed over and over without reduced performance," Stephanie Mlot writes. (More Wyoming stories.)