Wyoming House Rejects Nuclear Waste Referendum, Killing Freedom Caucus-Backed Measure

A proposed constitutional amendment that would have required voter approval for all spent nuclear fuel storage projects in Wyoming failed to advance Tuesday, falling just short of the two-thirds majority needed during the budget session. House Joint Resolution 3 died on a 32-30 vote, a narrow defeat that exposes deep divisions over the state’s energy future.

The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Bill Allemand, R-Midwest, sought to place a referendum on the November ballot asking voters to ban nuclear waste storage unless approved on a case-by-case basis. Allemand framed the measure as a direct response to constituents who felt ignored by local officials and developers. “I have heard angry people from all across this state, from Bar Nunn and Casper to Gillette, Rock Springs, Cody and many more, telling me that their town councils and county commissions don’t care about them and their future,” he said on the House floor.

The push comes in the wake of Radiant Industries’ decision to abandon Wyoming in October. The company had planned to build a nuclear microreactor manufacturing facility near Bar Nunn but withdrew following intense local opposition and relocated the project to Tennessee. The episode became a flashpoint between the Freedom Caucus and other Republican leaders, including Gov. Mark Gordon, who blamed “Club No” lawmakers for driving away economic opportunity.

Rep. Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander, a longtime nuclear energy advocate, opposed the resolution, arguing that Wyoming’s existing permitting processes and federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission oversight already provide adequate public input. Requiring a public vote for every individual project, he said, “becomes very problematic if your industry is trying to come into the state.”

Governor Gordon, asked about the resolution’s failure, emphasized that nuclear energy is unavoidable in the nation’s future and that Wyoming must position itself strategically. “We have the highest reserves of uranium but we don’t have manufacturing capacity for that,” he said. “Wyoming doesn’t want to be the waste repository, but we’ve got to have some ability to make sure that our industry has a future.”

The vote leaves unresolved the tension between local control advocates wary of hosting nuclear waste and pro-industry Republicans who see nuclear development as essential to Wyoming’s post-coal economy.