Legislators Clash Over Proposed Bill That Would Allow Spent Nuclear Fuel In Wyoming

CASPER — The ambitions of Wyoming’s emerging nuclear industry collided with the concerns of citizens at a Joint Minerals, Business & Economic Development Interim Committee hearing Wednesday. 

Committee members discussed proposed legislation that could pave the way for manufacturers to build microreactors — and the resulting clash of opinions included raised voices, gavel banging and a true tale about an infamous crash involving a pineapple truck. 

Many packed into a meeting room at the Thyra Thompson State Office Building drove in from the nearby community of Bar Nunn, where the California-based company Radiant wants to manufacture nuclear microreactors for the Department of Defense and other clients who need what the company described as “a megawatt in a box.”

Microreactors are in demand as a portable electricity source for remote military installations and other operations seeking an alternative to diesel generators. The catch is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires manufacturers of microreactors to take back and store the spent fuel on site. 

That’s what continues to divide residents of Bar Nunn and others in Wyoming, who debated the consequences of accepting nuclear waste into the state. 

"I am really excited about this manufacturing thing here,” said Rep. Kevin Campbell, R-Glenrock, adding, “I'm just worried about the risk thing.”

The perceived risks surrounding Radiant’s plans for Bar Nunn sent residents of the town of about 3,000 on a quest to learn more. 

“I thought nuclear was a good thing, but wasn’t sure,” Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyd told the committee. “By the end of it, a lot of the fears I had have disappeared, and I realized this is one of the safest industries in the United States. It would be a great complement to this state. My town would obviously benefit greatly from this. It’s not every day a $200 million company comes along.”

But many continue to harbor fears about living near a facility storing spent fuel and transporting radiological materials and how it might affect real estate prices. At least two residents of Bar Nunn told the committee that for-sale signs are appearing at an alarming rate around the town, even though Radiant is still a long way from getting its plans approved. 

The draft legislation before the Minerals Committee would allow advanced nuclear reactor manufacturers located in Wyoming to site installations for storing spent nuclear fuel at their manufacturing facilities, subject to federal licensing and detailed reporting requirements.

"Is Wyoming open for business? That's the question we will answer in a short period of time, taking barriers out of the road," said Rep. Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander, a key supporter of the legislation. "Certainty, that's really important to them. We got to get this bill passed. We got to start today."

Following hours of testimony that stretched into the evening, the committee tabled the bill. 

DOE Experts

Wednesday’s legislative discussions included a presentation from federal Department of Energy officials, who visited Wyoming to explain their role in managing spent nuclear fuel, emphasizing they are not trying to force storage facilities on any community.

"DOE is not here to try and site anything. We're not trying to build storage facilities, reprocessing facilities or repositories," said Paul Murray, deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel & high-level waste disposition. "We're here to talk about what our responsibility is.”

Murray, who has 45 years of nuclear industry experience, told lawmakers that the DOE under the Trump administration is prioritizing a renewed push to eventually establish a permanent repository for nuclear waste. 

Murray pointed to international examples where nuclear waste storage has gained public acceptance, including a repository site he visited near Zurich, Switzerland.

"It is right there next to a major metropolitan area. There's no issue, no risk, people are accepting to it," Murray said. He added that when he went to dinner in a neighboring community, he expected anti-nuclear pushback but found local support instead.

The federal official also emphasized the safety record of spent nuclear fuel transportation. Murray noted that there have been hundreds of shipments of spent nuclear fuel through Wyoming without incident. 

According to a 2023 presentation by the Department of Energy, spent nuclear fuel transportation has an exceptionally strong safety record. There have been 14 accidents involving spent nuclear fuel casks in the U.S. since 1971, including a collision with a pineapple truck in Indianapolis in 2014. None of these incidents resulted in the release of hazardous materials. 

Still, when it comes to nuclear waste transportation and storage, communities are concerned, Marla Morales, director of DOE's office of collaboration-based siting, told Cowboy State Daily. 

"Most of them are scared that they're going to be forced to accept nuclear fuel, spent nuclear fuel," Morales said. "They want a seat at the table. They want a collaboration-based process. They want community buy-in."

Morales, who travels the country initiating community conversations about the nuclear industry, said the concerns like those voiced by residents of Bar Nunn and Natrona County are to be expected. She also said that’s just part of the debate. 

"The nuclear conversation has changed,” said Morales. “If you would have asked someone 10 years ago who was willing to host nuclear fuel or who was interested in a repository … crickets. That conversation isn't the same anymore. Now, the nuclear conversation, people think of it as clean energy, low carbon, carbon free."

Morales and Murray addressed public misconceptions about nuclear waste, with Murray noting there's "so much disinformation out there about spent nuclear fuel" influenced by pop culture depictions like The Simpsons showing "barrels of green goo leaking."

Underlining the advances in nuclear technology and safety, Murray invited lawmakers to the Idaho National Lab to see how spent nuclear fuel is handled. 

“So please come see it,” said Murray, who emphasized the level of safety by adding, “It’s not going to be exciting. You’re going to be bored out of your tree.”

Draft Legislation

The proposed Wyoming legislation would require manufacturers to comply with industrial siting requirements and submit detailed reports on job creation, tax revenue, and community impacts before construction begins. It also mandates financial assurance reviews for decommissioning and reclamation.

Under the bill, any stored spent nuclear fuel would remain the property of the manufacturer until transferred to permanent federal storage.

In his pitch for the bill, Rep. Larsen emphasized Wyoming's leadership position in nuclear development: "This is an exciting time. Wyoming has really been on the forefront of this."

And yet, for every optimistic voice in the room on Wednesday, there was a countering, cautioning counterpoint — none more emotionally packed than the story offered by Avilia Rae Friday of the Northern Arapaho Nation, who blames uranium contamination for giving her two types of breast cancer. 

“You wanted some input from we the people. We are native American people, and we are stewards of the land,” Friday told the committee. “I’m here to tell you today we stand behind Bar Nunn. We do not want this nuclear program here, this Radiant. They are contaminating our life span here.”

Friday went on to describe the damaging impact of Wyoming’s last uranium boom. In her community, she told the committee, “We would find frogs with three legs. There was a cow with a calf with two heads. And my leaders did not step up and say, ‘We are contaminated.’”

At one point during public comment, Rosemary Saban and Committee Chair Sen. Jim Anderson, R-Casper, got into a short verbal conflict with both telling the other to “simmer down,” before Anderson gaveled an end to Saban’s testimony and told her she was out of order. 

As this debate continues to gain momentum, Radiant was ready with live testimony and prepared statements on Wednesday.

“Our factory will be an amazing win for the President, for America, and for Wyoming – the state that already leads the nation in uranium mining and energy know-how,” Rita Baranwal, chief nuclear officer at Radiant, told the committee. “Right now, most of Wyoming’s uranium gets exported out of the country, and, with it, the benefits of what could be one of the state and country’s most profitable resources. Let’s keep it and the benefits — like jobs, tens of millions in tax dollars, and energy leadership — here in Wyoming and America.”

David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.