Energy startup company Radiant Nuclear is planning a comprehensive opinion poll in Bar Nunn to gauge local support for a proposed facility to build nuclear microreactors. That includes accepting and storing spent nuclear fuel from customers.
The polling effort was already part of the company's long-term business plan and not a reaction to a heated public forum Radiant officials held Saturday in the town about the project.
The poll will provide “a more scientific understanding of exactly where people’s sentiment is, than putting our finger up in the air and making a proclamation,” Ray Wert, Radiant vice president of communications, told Cowboy State Daily on Monday.
The forum in Bar Nunn was the smallest of three such meetings Radiant has held since March. While previous gatherings drew nearly 200 attendees, Saturday's wasn’t as well attended.
State Rep. Bill Allemand, R-Natrona, was there.
Allemand represents the Bar Nunn area and believes the community firmly opposes the project — and he predicts it will face an uphill battle in the legislature.
Radiant needs the state of Wyoming to change its law governing the storage of spent nuclear fuel and allow the company to store the spent fuel from its small, portable reactors.
"There will not be a change in this upcoming session because it's going to have to be by a two-thirds vote," Allemand said, recalling how during the last legislative session, Senate File 186 failed to change Wyoming’s nuclear waste law.
"Last year, the bill 186 was killed in Minerals (Committee) because it lacked so much clarity to it. So, if it could not pass in a general session, there's no way it can pass in the budget session needing two thirds of the vote,” added Allemand.
Allemand was unequivocal about community sentiment: "It is not for Bar Nunn because the people of Bar Nunn do not want it. If the people at Bar Nunn wanted it, I would be 100% behind them."
Hell To Breakfast
However, other state legislators disagree with Allemand's assessment of both community support and legislative prospects.
Sen. Brian Boner, R-Douglas, expressed optimism about finding a path forward, potentially through different legislation than the failed SF 186.
"I'd like to think so," Boner said about passing legislation in the budget session. "I think that we might have to take a different course of action than Senate Bill 186, perhaps considering and making sure that these types of projects are always underneath the Industrial Siting Council to make sure Wyoming has a greater role to play in regulation of these types of activities."
Sen. Ed Cooper, R-Ten Sleep, who co-sponsored SF 186, was even more forceful in his support, dismissing opposition as unfounded fearmongering.
"They don't really have any basis for their negativity that I can see at all," Cooper said, noting that Gillette is among communities that have had "open discussions" about hosting Radiant if Bar Nunn and Natrona County turn them down.
Cooper believes legislation could pass even in a budget session, saying a new bill would be "simplified" compared to SF 186.
"It's very direct," he said. "In fact, what they're actually doing is changing two words in the statute. And that's to allow for storage at a generation facility or manufacturer."
Under Wyoming law, it’s already legal for a commercial nuclear reactor like the one planned for Kemmerer to store its spent fuel, but it’s not currently legal for a facility manufacturing reactors to become the storage site for the fuel spent in its reactors.
The senator, who visited France in December to observe their nuclear waste handling practices, grew animated when discussing what he sees as misplaced fears about spent fuel storage.
"We've got such a huge problem with storage in the United States. It's scattered," Cooper said. "It's scattered from hell to breakfast all across our nation."
When asked about the colorful phrase, Cooper laughed: "That's something my dad used to say when things are scattered all over. ‘It's scattered out from hell to breakfast.’ It is actually where we are today with spent fuel storage."
Economic Opportunity
Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyer, who drives a truck hauling crude oil when not conducting city business, believes the project would benefit the community — but he acknowledges there is opposition.
"I think it would be a good thing for the town. I do," Boyer told Cowboy State Daily. "I know there's a lot of misgivings about it. I've talked to quite a few people in town about it. There are some who are for, there are some who are against, and some, they don't even know. It's kind of a lot of different camps here. I think overall it'll be a good thing for the community."
Boyer noted the project would bring jobs to the area, though he acknowledged concerns about the facility potentially becoming a national storage site and questions about what would happen if the company failed.
"A lot of people are also actually afraid that just north of our town is going to be the national storage site," Boyer said. "That really it's going to be like a certified business storing nuclear waste from all over the country, right north of Bar Nunn.”
Boyer emphasized that is not the plan and said the Department of Energy will step in to take care of the spent fuel if Radiant went out of business.
On The Fence
Jennifer Hopkins, a Bar Nunn homemaker who has attended town meetings and spoken with Radiant representatives, exemplifies the uncertainty some residents feel.
"I've always been on the fence about it," Hopkins said. "I'm on the fence about it when it comes to the longevity of it. And what is it turned into 50 years from now and how our laws change in Wyoming and who are we selling to?"
Hopkins noted that while Radiant mentions creating more than 200 jobs, she wondered if the positions would initially be filled by out-of-state workers.
Radiant Hopeful
Despite the opposition, Radiant continues to view Wyoming as its preferred location for manufacturing a new generation of microreactors.
"President Trump and his executive orders clearly outlined his desire to see a win for nuclear power and American energy resiliency," Wert added. "And we're excited about the opportunity to have our manufacturing facility and hundreds of good paying jobs that come with it located in Wyoming."
The facility would start with around 70 jobs and ramp up to more than 200 at full production, according to Wert. The company plans to purchase private property for the facility, though no agreement has been signed yet.
"We've got an opportunity to be able to truly create a real nuclear infrastructure in the state of Wyoming that's going to potentially create thousands of jobs," Wert said. "We'd love to see that happen. But, you know, it's all dependent on whether or not the state is interested in having us."
Next Steps
The public will have another opportunity to voice their opinions on Radiant's plan and whether Wyoming should pass legislation similar to the failed SF 186. The next Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee hearing is set for July 29-30 in Casper, where issues surrounding Radiant's plan will be discussed.
Boner noted there will be "continued town halls throughout the county leading up to the next Minerals Committee meeting in late July," adding that by then "we'll know more information about the status of a bill draft and where the community stands."
For now, Radiant continues evaluating Wyoming alongside other potential locations, with Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as another top contender. The company's decision will ultimately depend on community acceptance and whether the legislature changes state law to allow storage of spent nuclear fuel at manufacturing facilities, said Wert.
As Cooper put it: "We need to move forward into the 21st century like the rest of the world has. And we're not doing it."
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
