Wyoming

Town hall on nuclear development reveals tensions over waste, state control in Gillette

Published

4 months ago

October 16, 2025

Town hall on nuclear development reveals tensions over waste, state control in Gillette

GILLETTE, Wyo. — An informational town hall meeting in Gillette tonight drew sharp debate over the future of nuclear development in the state, with community members and officials weighing the economic promise against long-term waste and sovereignty concerns.

The meeting, one of the latest in a statewide series on nuclear energy, featured guest speaker Chuck Hope, a businessman and City Council member from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a city deeply connected to the Department of Energy and now considered a national model for nuclear reindustrialization. Also speaking was Wyoming Rep. Christopher Knapp, chairman of the state’s Corporations and Management Audit committees and a member of the Minerals Committee, who urged caution as nuclear companies show increasing interest in Wyoming.

Hope described Oak Ridge as a “nuclear renaissance” city that has attracted nearly $20 billion in private investment from a dozen companies over the past two years. He said the city’s success stems from deliberate planning, investment in infrastructure and clear expectations for industry partners.

“Oak Ridge has a rich nuclear history, but we’ve learned that community engagement and long-term responsibility are critical,” Hope said. “We require that companies be part of the community — live here, pay taxes here, and ensure they don’t leave us with cleanup problems later.”

He explained that Oak Ridge’s City Council mandates that nuclear companies cannot become their own interim waste storage facilities. “We have no interest in storing waste on-site indefinitely,” he said. “There’s no national repository yet, but that doesn’t mean cities should take that burden on themselves.”

Hope spoke about several projects under development in Oak Ridge, including the Tennessee Valley Authority’s small modular reactor project, Centrus Power’s pilot reactors Hermes 1 and 2, and Radiant’s R-50 microreactor at the former K-25 site. Radiant had been trying to build in Natrona County, just north of Bar Nunn by Casper, but announced the move to Tennessee this week because of regulatory uncertainty in Wyoming. He also said Tennessee’s governor created a $50 million Nuclear Strategy Development Fund to help recruit nuclear firms to the state, supported by reliable low-cost energy and access to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

While Hope focused on economic opportunity, Wyoming officials and residents raised concerns about the implications for waste management and state control.

Knapp warned the type of highly enriched uranium fuel used in newer small modular and microreactors — enriched up to 19.72% — could produce extremely radioactive waste that remains dangerous for centuries.

“We don’t yet know how this level of radiation will affect dry-cask storage over time,” Knapp said. “We could be looking at cracking or weld failures in 50 years, and no one knows who will be responsible then.”

Knapp also cautioned that despite Wyoming’s law prohibiting nuclear waste from being brought in from other states, federal agencies like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can override state statutes by contracting with private companies for so-called “intermediate storage.”

“That’s the federal word game,” Knapp said. “They call it 100-year storage, but that’s effectively permanent. Once that material is here, it’s not leaving.”

He cited a case in Texas where a private company was permitted to store nuclear waste despite state opposition, calling it “a warning shot” for Wyoming’s ability to maintain control over its land and energy policy.

Knapp also criticized what he called a lack of transparency between Wyoming leadership and the public. “There are nondisclosure agreements flying around, private meetings with nuclear vendors, and the Legislature is being left out,” he said. “If we can’t even have an open conversation about what’s being proposed, how can people trust the process?”

Both speakers agreed that nuclear development must come with robust emergency response systems and environmental protections. Hope pointed to Oak Ridge’s cross-trained response teams and new 50,000-square-foot training facility as models for preparedness. He said the city’s water systems and environmental safeguards meet stringent federal and state standards, adding that wastewater from the city’s plant is “cleaner than the water we pull in.”

Still, Knapp argued that Wyoming should focus on reinforcing its traditional energy strengths instead of pivoting toward nuclear.

“We already export 70% of our energy,” he said. “Let’s use our low-cost coal and gas to power data centers and AI operations rather than competing to replace them.”

He also took aim at past state policies, such as House Bill 200, which required coal plants to pursue carbon-capture pilot projects. “That law did nothing but drive up power bills — we’re talking $500 million to $1 billion per plant,” Knapp said.

The next town hall in the series is expected to take place in Wright in early November.

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Wyoming

Turning Point Week: January Wraps with Standings Shifts Across Wyoming Boys’ Basketball

Published

3 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Press Room

Turning Point Week: January Wraps with Standings Shifts Across Wyoming Boys’ Basketball

Wyoming High School boys’ basketball teams completed the seventh week of the season to wrap up January. The last undefeated team suffered its first loss of the season, and that snapped the state’s longest win streak at 43 games in a row. Two teams are still in search of their first victory in the 2026 season. Nearly every conference has reached the halfway point of league play, except the 3A West.

WYOPREPS BOYS BASKETBALL STANDINGS 2025 THROUGH WEEK 7

Here are the standings for all games played through January 31, 2026. WyoPreps updates the standings weekly throughout the season. Teams are listed by their conference record or points total first, and then by their overall record. If a tie exists, teams are listed in alphabetical order unless a head-to-head result can break the tie.

1A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Meeteetse 11-4, 5-0

Burlington 11-7, 4-1

St. Stephens 9-4, 4-2

Ten Sleep 6-7, 2-3

Dubois 3-12, 1-4

Riverside 0-14, 0-6

1A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Cokeville 9-8, 5-1

Saratoga 13-2, 4-1

Little Snake River 9-5, 3-2

Ft. Washakie 7-7, 2-4

Farson-Eden 4-11, 2-4

Encampment 4-12, 1-5

1A Northeast: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Upton 11-5, 5-0

Hulett 9-2, 4-0

Casper Christian 5-7, 4-3

Midwest 5-8, 2-2

Arvada-Clearmont 0-12, 0-4

Kaycee 5-11, 0-6

1A Southeast: (Overall Record, followed by Points Standings)

Lingle-Ft. Laramie 15-1, 35 points

Lusk 13-4, 28 points

H.E.M. 9-9, 17 points

Rock River 5-8, 9 points

Southeast 4-13, 8 points

Guernsey-Sunrise 1-12, 2 points

2A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Thermopolis 12-4, 3-0

Rocky Mountain 8-10, 2-1

Shoshoni 10-5, 1-2

Greybull 8-11, 0-3

2A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Wyoming Indian 17-2, 3-0

Big Piney 6-10, 2-1

Kemmerer 4-12, 1-2

Wind River 1-17, 0-3

2A East: (Overall Record, Conference Record)

Big Horn 12-4, 1-0

Pine Bluffs 11-6, 4-1

Wright 12-5, 0-1

Moorcroft 5-12, 0-1

Sundance 2-12, 0-1

Tongue River 1-15, 0-1

Read More Boys Basketball News from WyoPreps

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WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 1-21-26

Nominate A Boys Basketball Player For Athlete Of The Week 2025-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Standings 1-19-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 5 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 1-14-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 4 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 1-7-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 3 Scores 2025-26

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 12-24-25

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 2 Scores 2025-26

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Boys Basketball Poll 12-17-25

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 1 Scores 2025-26

3A West: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Lovell 13-2, 3-0

Lander 10-4, 2-1

Lyman 9-4, 2-1

Powell 12-3, 1-2

Pinedale 8-6, 1-2

Mountain View 6-7, 1-2

Worland 6-9, 1-2

Cody 4-10, 1-2

3A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Douglas 11-4, 5-0

Wheatland 8-9, 4-0

Buffalo 7-6, 3-1

Torrington 5-6, 2-3

Rawlins 7-9, 2-3

Glenrock 3-11, 1-3

Newcastle 3-11, 1-3

Burns 6-12, 0-5

4A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Natrona County 9-5, 3-0

Green River 11-3, 1-2

Kelly Walsh 3-10, 1-2

Rock Springs 11-3, 1-2

4A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Star Valley 7-6, 3-0

Evanston 4-11, 1-1

Riverton 7-9, 1-2

Jackson 1-11, 0-2

4A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)

Sheridan 13-1, 6-0

Cheyenne Central 12-4, 5-1

Thunder Basin 9-6, 4-2

Campbell County 3-10, 2-4

Cheyenne East 9-8, 2-4

Laramie 7-10, 2-4

Cheyenne South 1-15, 0-6

James Johnson Winter Showcase Basketball Tournament 2026

Photos from game action at the James Johnson Winter Showcase tournament in Cheyenne.

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Shannon Dutcher

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Wyoming

Big Boy Leaves Cheyenne Wyoming For CA, March 2026

Published

15 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Press Room

Big Boy Leaves Cheyenne Wyoming For CA, March 2026

The Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 will embark on a 2026 tour to celebrate the U.S. Semiquincentennial, starting with a westward leg from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to California from March 29 to April 24. Major public displays are scheduled for April 10–11 in Roseville, California, and April 18–19 in Ogden, Utah. An eastern tour leg beginning in late spring is also planned. Read the Union Pacific Schedule HERE!

Watch the video below, Big Boy 4014: How They Brought a Dead Giant Back to Life Shocked The World!

Delivered in December 1941, Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 is a massive 1.2-million-pound steam locomotive that primarily operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, to haul heavy freight over mountain grades.

Watch the video below as Jay Leno tours the restored BIG BOY 4014.

After retiring in 1961, it was reacquired by Union Pacific in 2013 and returned to Cheyenne for a full restoration, returning to service in May 2019.

The Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 underwent a massive, multi-year restoration by the UP Steam Team, converting it from coal to oil, replacing parts, and modernizing its systems.

It returned to service in May 2019 for the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad, becoming the world’s largest operating steam locomotive. The process involved detailed inspections, complex crane-assisted reassembly, fabrication of new components, and conversion of its firebox to oil, making it a functional historical artifact.

As of early 2026, the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 is stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming, preparing for a major 2026 coast-to-coast tour starting March 29 to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. It is the world’s only operating Big Boy locomotive, having recently completed tours in 2024 and 2025.

Big Boy Number 4004 remains an imposing sight, and you can see it upclose. The world’s largest steam locomotive, this powerful coal-fired engine was designed to pull a 3600-ton train over steep grades between Cheyenne, WY, and Ogden, Utah. The 4004 is one of the eight remaining Big Boys throughout the country.

The engine is on display year-round in the southeast corner of Holliday Park. You can park your car in the lot accessible from East 17th Street and Morrie Avenue.

Crafts Of The 2026 Wyoming Mountain Man Convention

Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods

Old Medicine Of The Chugwater Wyoming Drugstore

If you visit the tiny town of Chugwater Wyoming you’ll find the newly restored Soda Fountain.

In fact it’s Wyoming’s oldest soda fountain and malt shot.

It’s always worth stopping in for breakfast or lunch, or maybe a shake or malt.

The place was a drug store and soda fountain for the longest time.

Back then soda was actually used to cure an upset stomach.

So what sort of old medicines were left behind by Chugwater’s last pharmacist?

It turns out, some of them are on display.

Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods

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Wyoming

Colorado State can’t keep up with Wyoming late Saturday night

Published

1 day ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Colorado State can’t keep up with Wyoming late Saturday night

Jevin Muniz came off the bench to score a team-most 14 points Saturday night, but the Colorado State men’s basketball team could not overcome Wyoming at Arena Auditorium in Laramie, Wyoming, losing 68-57.

Muniz also had seven assists, but he made just 5 of 12 field goals while CSU (12-10 overall, 3-8 Mountain West) shot just 40% from the floor as a team and made just 4 of 23 3-point attempts all night.

CSU played well defensively during the first half and trailed just 27-23, but Wyoming finished the game shooting 44% and was even more lethal from 3-point range. The Cowboys (13-9, 4-7) went 12-for-25 from beyond the perimeter, with Khaden Bennett’s six treys leading the way.

Bennett was a force all night, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Cowboys also had 24 free throw attempts — making 18 — while CSU was just 7-for-10 at the line. Demarion Dennis provided ample bench scoring for Wyoming, finishing with 16 points.

Josh Pascarelli was held without a point for the first time all season, going 0-for-8 from the floor. Kyle Jorgensen finished with 13 points as the Rams’ only other double-digit scorer.

Wyoming pulled away in the second half. It was 42-38 with 13 minutes, 7 seconds left after a Jorgensen 3-pointer, but Wyoming then went on a 12-0 run over the next 5 1/2 minutes to go up 54-38. The closest CSU got from that point was eight points.

CSU has a full week off before hosting San Jose State next Saturday at 7 p.m.

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