What will these people think of next? A Denver suburb just passed a measure ostensibly designed to combat climate change by encouraging residents to purchase electric vehicles.
Doesn’t sound so horrible so far, right?
But it’s even more absurd than you think. Just the News reported:
The Louisville City Council voted unanimously Tuesday in support of a 2022 ordinance that would cap the number of gas stations allowed in the Colorado city, about 30 miles north of Denver.
The ordinance caps the number of stations to six and includes only one exception – if a retail center such as Sam’s Club or Costco builds a store of 80,000 or more square feet that would include a gas station.
According to a 79-page report issued by the City Council on the day of the vote, caps on gas stations are becoming a common trend among local municipalities, due to concerns regarding health and the environment caused by the use of gasoline-powered vehicles and equipment. The report also notes that gas station bans could encourage the use of electric vehicles. However, the report acknowledges that gasoline is still necessary to power non-electric vehicles.
The report proposes a cap on new gasoline and automobile service stations instead of a full ban. The report states:
The proposal for a cap but not a full ban on new gasoline and automobile service stations is in recognition that there will continue to be some demand for gasoline and automobile service stations as more EVs enter the market and gasoline vehicles are transitioned out of the market over time.
Under the newly passed ordinance, gas stations in the town are required to be at least 1,000 feet apart from each other. Additionally, any new, expanded or modified gas or automobile service station must install electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations. The number of EV stations required is equivalent to 20 percent of the number of gasoline pumps at the station, with a minimum of two such charging stations, according to the Washington Examiner.
Gas station owners will have to reapply for a permit to operate if their facility is vacant for over a year. However, a seventh gas station can be built if it is part of a new, large single-user retail center, according to the ordinance.
Maxine Most, a council member who supported the ordinance, stated before the vote, “We have an obligation to take every step possible to address the changes to our climate that are ravaging our planet and directly impacting the health, well-being and livelihoods of the constituents we represent in Louisville.”
The town, located in Boulder County, has a population of approximately 20,000 people. This new ordinance is one of the many actions states and jurisdictions have taken to fight climate change and reduce emissions. In California, for example, lawmakers passed a ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars starting in 2035 to expedite the transition from gas-powered to electric vehicles.
Well, there you have it, folks. Louisville’s City Council wants to start forcing people to purchase electric vehicles by limiting the number of gas stations allowed in the area. That will definitely prevent us all from perishing in a gigantic fireball in the upcoming climate change armageddon.
Seriously, though, this is just another way for a local government to flex its power by trying to compel people to live the way these officials believe they should live. They know this is not going to do much of anything to combat the effects of climate change. As the report admitted, it will still require fossil fuels to make sure electric vehicles are still a thing. To me, it sounds like nothing more than empty virtue signaling at the expense of the town’s residents.
