The environmentalists are coming unhinged about this one…
One of the most fashionable things for so-called environmentalists to do these days is bash fossil fuels, even though they undoubtedly benefit from such filthy things daily. This of course includes going after cars which burn gas or diesel versus those which run on electricity largely generated by burning coal. For many automotive enthusiasts, it seems like the environmentalists are scoring too many wins these days, however a situation in Utah has turned the tables.
The thing that’s got the greens in Utah worked up is what they’re calling a bait and switch done by state Senator Wayne Harper, a Republican from Taylorsville. They expected his bill, SB0051, would close a “loophole” for registering older cars as vintage vehicles. If it were up to most environmentalists, they’d see pretty much every classic car shuttled off to the scrap heap in their righteous quest to rid the planet of all unclean things.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the bill was supposed to stop people from falsely claiming their vehicles manufactured before 1991 are vintage cars and thus not subject to emissions inspections. Remember, this claim comes from the same quality publication whose editorial board last year argued the National Guard should be used to place all unvaccinated Americans under house arrest, so I’d take literally anything they say with a grain of salt.
We’ve seen this mentality before, including in Nevada where a similar plan to get rid of all those nasty old cars the environmentalists and other “progressives” decided shouldn’t be allowed on public roads as some form of justice. That initiative was also supposed to fund the purchase of electric cars for low-income individuals, using a never-ending supply of taxpayer dollars, of course.
Instead of the bill not nuking the possibility for you to register your 1988 Chevy Camaro as a vintage vehicle in Utah, it apparently is now going to help direct funds for a highway connecting the plentiful Uintah Basin oil patch to Interstate 70. At a time when energy prices are sky high thanks in no small part to President Biden moving on his declaration to “end the oil industry” this could provide some much-needed relief. However, the environmentalists complain any time a fossil fuel operation gets a break of any kind, despite everyone benefiting from it.
I won’t bore you with all the details of this situation, but if you want to know more check out the link to my source, the Salt Lake Tribune, at the end of this editorial. Just be prepared for plenty of heavy spin, something that long-standing publication has a long and storied history of performing. At the same time it’s great fun seeing the author do the written equivalent of sputtering violently while demanding to speak to the manager.
When you’re used to always getting your way by claiming the whole of the scientific community and moral reasoning backs even your most extreme whims, facing a setback probably seems absolutely devastating. In the meantime, The Salt Lake Tribune can keep talking about powering transportation, not to mention heating homes and literally keeping the lights on, using solely hopes, dreams, and moral superiority. The rest of us will stick with reality and enjoy driving our cars made before 1991, thank you very much.
Check out the angry rant in the Salt Lake Tribune right here.
