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Fact check: False claim Wyoming banned the sale of electric vehicles by 2035

Charging stations are a regular sight around the country as electric vehicle sales rise.

The claim: Wyoming banned the sale of electric vehicles starting in 2035

A Jan. 18 Facebook post (direct link, archived link) claims the state of Wyoming recently took a stand against a green energy initiative.

“Way to go Wyoming,” the post reads. “Banning sales of all elec. cars by 2035.”

The post was shared more than 100 times in six days.

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Our rating: False

While Wyoming state legislators introduced a resolution in January to end the sale of new electric vehicles by 2035, the resolution did not pass and is now considered dead.

Resolution to ban electric vehicle sales ‘effectively dead,’ says co-sponsor

A group of Republican state lawmakers in Wyoming introduced a joint resolution on Jan. 13 that called for the sale of electric vehicles in the state to be phased out by 2035, according to The Washington Post.

But the resolution's sponsor said he does not actually want to ban electric vehicles, he was just making a statement about the phasing out of gas-powered vehicles in other states.

Contrary to the Facebook post's claim, the proposal has not passed. The Wyoming state legislature website shows it was most recently referred to committee on Jan. 13, the same day it was introduced.

Wyoming state Rep. Donald Burkhart and state Sen. Dan Dockstader, two of the resolution's co-sponsors, both said the proposal has not been signed into law.

Burkhart confirmed the proposal was referred to the Wyoming Senate Minerals, Business, and Economic Committee.

“The Minerals Committee did not move the joint resolution, they did not even consider the resolution,” Burkhart told USA TODAY. “In effect, the joint resolution died right there when there was no motion to move it forward. Under our rules here in Wyoming, if a joint resolution or a bill dies at any point in the legislative process, it is done for that legislative session. You cannot bring it back.”

Fact check: Lifetime carbon emissions lower for electric vehicles than gas-powered cars

While the joint resolution can potentially be reintroduced after the current legislative session ends on March 3, Burkhart said he and his colleagues may not bring the proposal forward again.

“We haven't really talked about that, we might,” he said. “This resolution was more of a statement.”

Other states across the country, like California, Washington and Massachusetts, have adopted rules that will ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, Wyoming is not banning the sale of electric vehicles