Montana energy isn’t ready for forced EVs

Last month, the Biden administration published their finalized tailpipe emissions rule, an electric vehicle (EV) mandate which will upend the daily lives of Montanans. The EPA’s new emissions rule calls for EVs to account for 56% of all cars by 2032, with two-thirds of all cars being electric or hybrid.

However, with the state of Montana’s electric vehicle usage and electric grid, this mandate spells disaster for our state’s energy economy, electric grid, public safety, and way of life. As a business owner in Billings, I am very familiar with these economic challenges, and how they will affect Montana businesses as a whole.

Most obviously, Montana is not an electric vehicle state. Because only 0.18% of cars were electric as of 2021, our state is incredibly behind the two-thirds target that President Biden is mandating. With only 121 charging stations across our entire state, we would need drastic investments in costly charging infrastructure to support an economically viable EV transition. This would disrupt our state’s transportation economy and cost millions to comply with federal regulations.