Commissioners to vote on resolution to let public decide if they want nuclear waste in Campbell County
GILLETTE — The Campbell County Commissioners are considering letting the public vote on whether they want nuclear waste stored in Campbell County.
At their regular meeting Tuesday morning the commissioners will discuss a resolution that, if approved, would make clear the board’s stance on nuclear waste.
The commissioners will not be voting on the resolution, however, until their second meeting in October.
The resolution states that commissioners would put this issue on the ballot for the general election in 2026. This will allow the public to vote on whether nuclear waste storage should be permitted in Campbell County.
If the resolution passes, commissioners will adhere to the following tenets until the vote is conducted:
- No interim nuclear storage, domestically produced or relocated
- No consolidated interim storage, domestically produced or relocated
- No deep geological repository
- No exemptions granted for interim storage, consolidated storage or geological repository
The resolution comes as there has been increasing interest in nuclear energy in Campbell County and Wyoming.
The resolution outlines some of the other elements of the situation, such as the Department of Energy’s work to identify sites for the consolidated interim storage of spent fuel using a consent-based siting approach until the federal government figures out a permanent disposal solution.
In 2022, House Bill 131, “Nuclear Power Generation and Storage Amendments,” was passed to facilitate the construction of the TerraPower nuclear power plant near Kemmerer.
This law allows for nuclear power plants in Wyoming to temporarily store their own radioactive waste but prohibits the import of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants located outside the state.
The Wyoming Joint Minerals, Business & Economic Development Interim Committee is considering sponsoring a bill during the 2026 budget session that would allow manufacturers to store spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste in the state.
This story was published on Sept. 15, 2025.