MADISON, Wis. — A pair of bills passed by the Wisconsin Assembly along party lines Tuesday aim to prevent state agencies and local governments from banning gas-powered vehicles and machines.
Republicans, who backed the proposals, are worried so-called ‘bureaucrats’ could ban gas engines someday in the future.
The move is meant to make sure what happened in California last year, when regulators there approved a requirement that new trucks and cars sold in the state must run on either hydrogen or electricity by the year 2035, doesn’t ever happen in Wisconsin.
Republicans said the proposals are about protecting consumers and manufacturers.
“We have seen, across the country, and in different cities, they outright ban a device based on its energy source,” State Rep. Ellen Schutt, R-Clinton, who co-authored the bills, said.
However, Democrats argued there have been no talks of any sort of gas-powered bans in Wisconsin.
“The GOP mantra used to be, ‘Oh my goodness, the Democrats want to take our guns away,’” State Rep. Christine Sinicki, D-Milwaukee, said. “Now, it’s, ‘Oh my goodness, the Democrats want to take our gasoline away.’ That is not true. We’re not anywhere near having an [electric vehicle] revolution.”
The first bill passed would make it illegal for state agencies and local governments to ban the use or sale of equipment like snowblowers, lawnmowers and other household appliances based on the energy source used to power them.
A second bill would do the same but for motor vehicles.
Fossil fuel groups and gas stations, including Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip, registered their support behind the measures.
“I have nothing against electrical vehicles or electrical lawnmowers if that’s what you want to buy, but let the people make those choices,” State Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, explained. “To say, ‘Oh, we’re not going to pass this because nobody has attempted to do it yet.’ Well, there’s a whole lot of things that haven’t been attempted yet, and yet we have laws and constitutions to protect the rights of the people to live their lives without interference of future governments.”
Both proposals will still need to pass the Wisconsin Senate before going to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk, where they are likely to be vetoed because the legislation flies in the face of his clean energy priorities.
Last year, the governor unveiled Wisconsin’s first-ever clean energy plan focused on investing in clean energy technology.