Weekly Update

As you may have seen on FOX News and other major media outlets, Wyoming experienced quite a week in the national news spotlight due to a resolution brought forward in the Senate.

Senate Joint Resolution SJ0004 Phasing out new electric vehicle sales by 2035 pushes back against bans on new sales of cars with internal combustion engines in states like California and New York. Although it's a bit of a tongue-in-cheek statement – and not an actual ban – I am pleased to see that this resolution struck a chord with the rest of the country.

Such bans on internal combustion engines imposed by states like California and New York could have dire repercussions for our energy-producing state. We want and must show support for Wyoming's energy economy and the processing of their products. These have been invaluable industries in Wyoming for a century and they have created countless good paying jobs for Wyoming residents.

As a public lands state, we already deal with federal agencies making decisions that thumb their noses at the law and their statutory obligations. For example, though the federal government is required to hold oil and gas lease sales at least four times a year, there has only been one lease sale in the past two years of the Biden Administration.

As grocery prices go up, the stock market is down, and it costs an arm and a leg to fill your truck compared to two years ago, it confounds me why liberal policies like the banning of cars with internal combustion engines is even a consideration. President Biden and governors from states like California and New York are determined to shut down America's fossil fuels. They guarantee that we'll do just fine on windmills and solar panels. Never mind that we've already seen the results – rolling statewide blackouts in Texas and California and thousands in Europe lining up to buy coal to heat homes and businesses this winter because there is no gas.

Further, this resolution is as much about oil and gas as it is about the power grid. From a practical perspective, we have yet to see a plan from California and the other states banning internal combustion engines outlining how the new demand for the electricity required to run electric vehicles will be met. Wyoming has some regulatory oversight over powerplants and transmission lines that supply energy to the states around us.

Our energy resources have powered the nation for decades. We know the realities of energy development and deployment. And in Wyoming, we do not shy away from calling attention to poor policy that targets Wyoming's bedrock industries. I am glad the people of our country are hearing that message.

Please email me at [email protected] if you have questions or concerns regarding legislation being discussed during this session.