State Legislature approves bills preventing gas engine bans

MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – A pair of bills that have passed both houses of Wisconsin’s Legislature seek to prevent future laws that would ban the use of engines that use natural gas.

The Wisconsin Senate approved 2023 Assembly Bill 141 and 2023 Assembly Bill 142, as well as 2023 Senate Bill 49 on Wednesday, which would prevent any restriction on utility service based on the source of energy.

The Assembly bills were drawn in part as a response to a California law requiring all new vehicles sold in the state to use hydrogen or electricity as energy sources by the year 2035, as well as a New York requirement that prohibits the sale of gas stoves and furnaces in new construction beginning in 2026, according to the Associated Press.

Voting on the Assembly bills in April was strictly partisan, with all Democrats voting in opposition to the measures. The Senate votes were all 22-11 along party lines.