She said she spoke to one dealership in Wyoming that is spending more than $500,000 to meet the manufacturer’s requirements.
Allen said even though SJ 4 was just a resolution meant as a statement, even making that statement would negatively impact dealerships in Wyoming. Besides asking them to violate agreements with manufacturers, it encourages people not to buy EVs from them.
“Casual statements can cause real harm,” Allen warned.
Freedom to Choose
Keith Rittle, representing the Wyoming Outdoor Council, said the challenges of the transition to EVs are manageable, and he argued there are benefits that EV adoption would bring to Wyoming and its existing industries.
Rittle said EV ownership comes with lower costs over the lifetime of the vehicle. They have “severe acceleration and handling” and the convenience of charging at home.
He also said their batteries could act as energy storage capacity to power homes during grid disruptions.
The resolution, Rittle added, seemed at odds with other interests in the state, such as the electrical generation industry, powered by Wyoming’s mining industries.
Rittle requested the committee reject the resolution in the interest of individual choice.
“It’s best if … Wyoming citizens retain freedom to choose for themselves, like the vehicles they prefer to drive,” Rittle said.
Frozen Batteries
Bill Winney, a former U.S. Navy submarine captain and resident of Bondurant, spoke of the degradation in range EV batteries experience in cold weather.
“You should think of somebody going around Elk Mountain in February when it’s minus 20 or 30,” Winney said.
With gas-powered cars, the heat for the cab and defroster is waste heat, he said, whereas with an EV, it comes out of the battery, further reducing its range.
Winney suggested it would be practical for the Legislature to explore the options of closing roads to EVs during winter months, just as they close roads to high-profile vehicles during high winds.
“You need to think in terms of a family that may be moving from Florida to California in February, going around Elk Mountain, and they just don’t understand how to manage loads on their battery,” he said.
Better Methods?
Speaking after the meeting, Rothfuss said there are better ways to push back against EV mandates that are spreading across the country without negative messaging and “fighting acrimony with acrimony.”
“I think over the past decade we’ve seen that adding more negativity to a challenging problem just doesn’t seem to lead to positive outcomes,” Rothfuss said.
Rothfuss suggested a delegation from Wyoming could open a dialogue with legislators in California to explain that Wyoming education has benefited greatly from the industries that their laws seek to eliminate.
“Those are the kind of conversations that we could have, if we were willing to sit down together instead of just lobbing grenades over the wall,” Rothfuss said.
Sent a Message
While the resolution died for lack of a motion, Anderson said the goal of starting a conversation with the statement it made has been achieved.
“It’s all over the nation now. Two major news outlets have asked me to interview this afternoon and tonight about 2 a.m.,” Anderson said. “So yes, we’ve got done what we needed to get done in informing the nation we’re supporting our industries.”
Sen. Ed Cooper, a supporter of the resolution, said he was fine with letting the bill die because it started a conversation that needed to happen.
He referenced the oath of office he took when he was sworn in as a member of the Wyoming Legislature to protect the state of against all enemies---foreign and domestic.
Phasing out gasoline-powered vehicles, he said, is a direct attack on Wyoming.
“When I see states making an open assault on the people of Wyoming, our industries and our way of life and livelihoods, I will push back,” Cooper said.
“If they take pot shots at us, I’m going to push back,” he added.
Cooper said he was OK with dropping it.
“It’s promoted a lot of discussion,” he said. “I think that was the purpose of it and maybe here is where it ends.”
Abby Andrews