Campbell County commissioners recap their experience at nuclear conference

GILLETTE — As the nuclear energy industry looks to expand in Wyoming, Campbell County commissioners and their staff are working to educate themselves on the different aspects of the industry.

Last week, the Campbell County commissioners attended a conference on nuclear energy hosted by the University of Wyoming’s Ruckelshaus Institute.

And on Wednesday, the commissioners recapped their experience at the conference, which included industry representatives, elected officials from all over the state and experts in various fields speaking on a number of topics, such as an overview of the nuclear fuel cycle, economic development opportunities beyond the fuel cycle and how to engage the community. TerraPower, BWXT and Uranium Energy Corp. were among the conference’s sponsors.

Commissioner Jerry Means said the conference was very informative, and everyone he spoke to was very “forthcoming,” he said.

“We need all our energy companies. Coal, oil and gas, nuclear, and…maybe even wind and solar,” Means said. “We all need to work together for the betterment of our nation, our counties, our communities.”

Commissioner Scott Clem said the speakers at the conference “didn’t sugarcoat things.”

“I didn’t detect a bias one way or the other,” he said.

There is some collaboration going on between Wyoming, Idaho and Utah to potentially make the region a hub for the nuclear industry, Clem said, and “it sounds like Utah is interested in taking the waste,” Clem said.

The state of Wyoming has responded to a request of information from the federal government about Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses.

“Unleashing the next American nuclear renaissance will drive innovation, fuel economic growth, and create good-paying American jobs while delivering the affordable, reliable and secure energy America needs to power its future,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright in a press release in January. “Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses give us the opportunity to work directly with states on regional priorities that support President Trump’s vision to revitalize America’s nuclear base.”

In its response, Wyoming made clear that its participation in this effort is “focused on the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle and associated industrial development activities.”

Campbell County Clerk Cindy Lovelace said she enjoyed learning about different ways to engage the community. The public input is vital, because “the community is left with the decisions that are made here.”

Commission Chair Bob Jordan said he was “fairly pleased” with the conference, but he pointed out that if the state is serious about this, it needs to realize there are a lot of communities in Wyoming that aren’t able to take on some of these elements of the nuclear industry due to their infrastructure, or lack thereof. Not every town is going to be a good fit.

“Hopefully the Wyoming Business Council sees that’s the main priority,” Jordan said.

Gillette resident Rolf Arands commended the commissioners for learning about nuclear, but he warned them to be very careful with how they move forward. He asked the commissioners if they understood nuclear fission and half-lives.

“I’ve listened to what we’re being told, and more importantly I’ve listened to what we’re not being told, and that’s really where my alarm bells are going off,” Arands said.

He said he feels like the public’s concerns about the storage of nuclear waste have been brushed aside, and anyone who opposes nuclear energy is labeled as stupid or scared.

Arands added that he understands the nuclear industry is coming to Wyoming and said the least that the commissioners can do is educate themselves and listen to their constituents.

This story was published on April 18, 2026.