Big Wig Pressure – Communities Should Opt Out Now

Yesterday Rocky Mountain Power and TerraPower gave a nuclear energy presentation at the WY Legislative Minerals Interim Committee meeting. This was a surprise for a number of reasons:

Nuclear energy is not on the Minerals Committee 2021 Interim Topic list
We’re pretty sure that Rocky Mountain Power was not placed on the agenda until recently
TerraPower was never on the agenda at all and yet they showed up and were treated like a celebrity by some (not all) legislators

These nuke guys are in a hurry folks and you need to know that. They’ve been making their pitch across the state already for several days and most especially to your elected officials – town councils, mayors, county commissioners, legislative representatives, etc. They claim they have been warmly received and that most local officials are receptive to this rushed nuclear project. They have 4 meetings planned next week in our state – one is in Converse County or Glenrock – where exactly is a good question. Have any of you been invited to any of these sit-downs or meet and greets? We bet not. They want buy-in from your elected officials but have not likely invited most average Wyomingites to these meetings. First they need to press some flesh (wink- wink).

We were all hoping we’d have enough time to truly educate ourselves on this issue before having to decide, individually, if we are a Yes or a No on having Bill Gates nuclear reactors in Wyoming. Clearly they are impatiently watching the clock and want to close this deal ASAP. Just watch them in the video and see for yourself (begins at around 46 minutes). Some of the legislators also seem equally anxious to close this deal as well.

TerraPower and Rocky Mountain Power originally stated they would make a decision by the end of 2021 on what power plant they choose to hope to convert to nuclear. Now they are saying they prefer it to be much, much sooner. August was alluded to by Minerals Chairman Jim Anderson at that meeting, and we’re not so sure that he wasn’t joking. The sense of panic to get this project agreed to and started ASAP by these guys is palpable – very similar to what we all saw in Gordon’s nervous energy when he dropped this nuke in our laps less than 1 month ago.

Pressure from a salesman is pressure from a salesman – whether they’re trying to sell you a used car or a nuclear reactor. It would definitely be safer to get pressured into a questionable deal on a used car.

It was just last year that some Wyoming legislators said, and most legislators heard, that this was not going to happen for years and that there would be plenty of time to work out the details:

“This isn’t gonna happen next year, frankly probably won’t for 4 or 5 years. But in the next 8 to 10 years this is gonna happen.”
– Representative David Miller, Feb 24, 2020 WY House Committee of the Whole floor discussion

“Obviously, this is a ways off. As excited as we might get about the potential of this we’re probably 10 or 15 years away from being able to consider from actually bringing such a plant into the state if we chose to do that.”
– Senator Bill Landen, Mar 5, 2020 Senate Committee of the Whole floor discussion

Yet here we are. With anxious nuke-salesmen nervously checking their watches as they fan-out across the state putting pressure on the very people you voted for to represent YOU.

And every Wyomingite needs to know, in no uncertain terms: Once a nuclear reactor deal is agreed to, it is no longer in the state’s hands in any shape or form – it is ALL under the purview of the federal government for the life of the nuclear plant. And they are not good at cleaning up their messes.

So they need to hear from every single Wyomingite ASAP and so does every elected official that represents you – from your Town or City Council, County Commissioners, WY House Representative and WY Senator, the Governor, Senator Barrasso, Senator Lummis and Rep Cheney (hold your nose on that one). You need to blast them all. You need to do it often, you need to do it loud and clear (keep it civil), and for as long as it takes. Regardless of what county you live in Wyoming, don’t let anyone tell you that it’s a local matter and none of your business – because it is your business. As the residents in southern Ohio have tragically experienced, the devastation from radioactive contamination can spread across multiple counties.

During the Minerals meeting WY House Representative Chuck Gray asked how the public can make their voice heard and how can communities withdrawal from being selected for these nuclear reactors. Here is the exchange: