The State of Wyoming and the federal government are arguing over where the state should place EV infrastructure.
Despite the news in January that Wyoming was considering banning EVs, Wyoming may be far less anti-EV than one would think. According to EnergyWire, the state is staunchly in support of placing EV infrastructure. However, the federal government denied its proposed location for chargers.
The directive set by the Biden Administration was clear---EV chargers should be placed every 50 miles along U.S. interstates, ensuring Americans are never too far from a charger for their vehicle. This sounds like a good idea, but representatives in the Wyoming State Legislature believe it is counterintuitive.
Wyoming is a unique state, with its vast tracts of open land and numerous examples of natural beauty; it is the pinnacle of a state people love to visit but not live in. Hence, Wyoming proposed EV chargers be placed in locations where most Americans want to go, en route to national parks, state parks and the mountains that bring thousands of visitors. However, none of the locations the state listed are easily accessible from an interstate like I-80 or I-90.
In September of last year, Wyoming’s plan was rejected, as the U.S. government remained entrenched in the idea of placing chargers every 50 miles, going as far as threatening to cut funding for other projects in Wyoming. But in perhaps the most cowboy response the federal government has received in the past 100 years, Wyoming didn’t seem to care.
According to Alternative Fuels Data Center statistics, Wyoming has 81 EV charging station locations, more than only Alaska (57), North Dakota (78) and South Dakota (73).
It should be noted Wyoming’s EV charger plan still includes the placement of some EV chargers along interstates, and in fact, Wyoming is currently in the process of constructing seven of them. However, the state has declined an equal number of chargers, meaning numerous proposed charging locations, both proposed by the feds and not, will not receive funding.
The U.S. Department of Transportation was not immediately available to comment regarding the situation in Wyoming.
That takes us to today, with Wyoming standing its ground and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg remaining silent on the issue. In the meantime, the number of all EV chargers in the state---including those placed by Tesla---can be counted on fingers and toes.
While some Wyoming residents seem interested in the prospect of EV ownership, or, as pointed out by EnergyWire, currently own EVs, they remain without the necessary infrastructure or a solution on the horizon.
