Guest Column: Fear Is No Energy Policy
Radiant scraps Wyoming nuclear microreactor manufacturing facility: California-based Radiant Industries cited the state's ban on spent nuclear fuel waste and said it will build a manufacturing plant in Tennessee.
Letter To The Editor: Why We Chose Tennessee Over Wyoming For Our Nuclear Generators
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus people, heavily made up in the legislature of carpetbaggers, and their street level MAGA adherents, which believe that global warming is a fib and that coal and petroleum will last forever, have likely chased Radiant Energy's nuclear generator factory out of the state, and out of Natrona County.
The ironies of this are so thick it isn't funny. In a state in which rampaging gang land rape is thought of as a virtue, opponents of this project sometimes came across sounding like they were members of Greenpeace.
Well, you can't really have the a "save the planet" and "drill baby drill" point of view simultaneously, unless you are ignorant. And this has been the triumph of ignorance.
Indeed, a person sustains more exposure to radiation from ceiling fans (truly) than they would have for this proposal, of from background radon gas, or simply from living in the state.
Trump, who ironically supports nuclear, won't be around forever and the end of carbon based fuels is not only on the horizon, it's out on the front lawn. Nuclear energy is the future.
The entity would have directly employed 250 people.
But this is common for Wyoming. I've seen feedlots basically run off twice, and by long standing assertion, Natrona County fail to support an effort by Coors to grow barley here.
I suppose if there is a bright spot, it would be that, given economic realities, this points us back to a very early type of economy in the state in a way. That won't make those employed in the oil and gas industry who think it's going to last forever happy, and it won't make any truck driving public servants happy either, but that's going to occur. Of course, retirees who made their lives elsewhere and who don't give a rats ass about the state's economy now that they've left their job somewhere else won't care much.
In other news, visitors to Grand Teton Grand Teton spent $808M in 2024.
October 14, 2025.
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NOLS helps power Wyoming’s outdoor rec economy, study says
BREAKING: Bar Nunn Elementary, Woods Learning Center could close next school year
October 15, 2025
Cont:
Legislators Pointing Fingers Over Radiant Nuclear Killing Wyoming Project
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Wyoming Sheep Jams Reveal Mounting Pressures On Local Ranches And Farms
The fallout on Radiant pulling out is really proving to be the nuclear sh** that hit the fan and having all sort of interesting implications, one of which is that voters in some districts are getting a good look at their recently elected legislators for the first time.
One of whom is now in the spotlight is Natrona County Freedom Caucus member Bill Allemand, who hails from Midwest, a town that's completely dependant upon petroleum production. The town sits right in the center of the old Salt Creek Oil Field. Allemand himself is a truck driver. According to his website, he graduated from high school in 1977, which would mean that he's about 66 years old or so. He's from a ranching family in that area. It's really unclear, but he seems to have left and lived in Kansas for years. When he came back, he went to work as a truck driver in Wyoming, which perhaps he was in Kansas. His website conspicuously fails to mention a spouse, which would likely suggest there isn't one.
Right from the onset, Allemand ran as a member of the very far right. He displaced long serving legislator Pat Sweeney in a race that saw the district boundaries redrawn. Sweeney, a genteel older gentleman with a long history in politics was a tavern owner but had probably simply stayed around in politics too long, although he's still in it, now serving as a City of Casper Councilman. Allemand was shockingly rude during his campaign against Sweeney and would have lost for that reason alone in earlier times.
Allemand in the legislature hasn't been hugely notable. He's in the camp that has sided against public lands in various ways and is one of the legislatures which Wyoming outdoor recreationist should not support. Now he's self branded as "Mr. No Nukes", a tag he proudly boasted about, right up until now when it's suddenly clear that a lot of Republicans are not very impressed. Allemand is already running for reelection for 2026 and may have a battle on his hands.
While Allemand is a Wyomingite, unlike a lot of Freedom Caucus members, he fits into that class of individuals who apparently made their lives elsewhere and returned to the state late in life. Brent Bien is another one. These people weren't all here when the state loved its uranium industry and are seemingly wedded to coal and oil at the existential level.
As an aside, Allemand in photographs appears to have a wad of chewing tobacco under his front lip 90% of the time. Perhaps I'm in error, but it's a pretty distinct look. He ought to ditch that.
Anyhow, now that Allemand prevailed and Radiant isn't coming, he's suddenly wanting to "bury the hatchet" with those whom he tangled with. They do not appear to be ready to do that, nor should they. Allemand didn't live in Bar Nunn but he went so far as to opine they should not have a police force, a totally local issues. During this controversy he drew attention to himself, and now he will have to live with the implications of it.
In a related matter:
Tom Lubnau: What Can We Learn From The Failed Federal Coal Sale
Lubnau starts off:
Given the disappointingly low bid, the BLM canceled the sale.
This makes plain in the present era something industry insiders, which I was to a slight degree back in the 90s, have known for decades. Coal is dead. People who boost it are either delusional, which much of the Freedom Caucus, maybe all of it, really are, or are telling people what they want to hear in order to advance themselves.
Which gets back to the Freedom Caucus. Why did they oppose nuclear projects? It's really unclear. To a large degree, however, it seems that a lot of them are just blisteringly ignorant on the state's history. They seem to be a carpetbagging Rexall Cowboys to a large extent.
I'm fairly firmly convinced that some don't' fit that category, and are just cynical. I'd place Chuck Gray in that category He's from the extreme far right but has gone full greenie in Natrona County, including opposing Radiant. Why? Probably simple political expediency. Indeed, I'm fairly convinced that if Donald Trump, in his declining mental state, announced that he intended to dump Melania and pursue Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a love interest, Gray would be AOC's biggest fan.
Little noticed in Natrona County, the same drama is going on in Campbell County.
Town hall on nuclear development reveals tensions over waste, state control in Gillette
October 16, 2025
Cont:
Governor Gordon Voices Disappointment in Radiant Nuclear Announcement
CHEYENNE, Wyo, October 14, 2025 - Governor Gordon (R-WY) made the following statement today regarding the announcement by Radiant Nuclear.
“It is a sad day when Wyoming loses out to Tennessee in providing energy leadership. Members of the Freedom Caucus inspired ‘Club No’ convinced Radiant that Wyoming isn’t about leadership and problem solving. Tennessee stood ready to accept that opportunity; maybe they understand how to build an economy.
‘Club No’ has ushered in a new culture of no matter who began or who commenced it, we’re against it. That is not the way Wyoming became the great state it is. We aren’t even following President Trump's lead.
Let me say it plainly: Wyoming should not be held back by fear. We should be pioneers. We should be the first state companies turn to when they want regulatory clarity, bold infrastructure, and a partner for innovation. The Trump Administration’s energy agenda gave us the opening; this microreactor project fits that agenda. Given a chance, if we had been willing to work together, no problem is unsolvable for Wyoming.
I applaud the citizens, county leaders, and those legislators who believed in opportunity over obstruction and Wyoming’s legendary reputation for finding solutions. Let’s work together to ensure Wyoming remains open for business. We will not let the ‘Club No’ crowd define our future.”
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An item from the Leopards Won't Eat My Face group:
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Inflation is up as prices jumped 3% last month.
October 25, 2025
cont:
When I was a kid, a particularly vicious insult was to call somebody a "diaper baby". It was such an insult, that it called for an immediate retraction or fisticuss. A person who would swallow such an insult accepted that they were, in fact, a diaper baby.
It expressed an extreme sort of narcissistic childish immmaturity.
Trump has hiked tariffs on Canada as he couldn't hack Ontario's well done Reagan advertisement. That's because, quite frankly, Donald Trump is a diaper baby.
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The Senate voted to end King Donny's bogus emergency tariffs on Brazil and will be voting to remove his emergency tariff authority entirely later this week.
As Smarmy Mike sent the House home, and won't recall them, nothing can happen right now. The Trump UniBrain GOP in the House earlier voted not to take up the illegal tariffs for the rest of the year anyhow.
What this frankly is, is a sign that an economic train wreck is coming and the Senate doesn't want the blame, or rather a few GOP Senators that aren't part of the UniBrain see it coming and don't want the blame.
October 29, 2025.
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In exchange for promises from China, which I'm sure are all so good, that will crack down on fentanyl, the United States will shave 10% off the tariffs it charges on Chinese goods.
2025 年 10 月 30 日'
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Trump's decision to stop the production of pennies is causing a crisis in retail in parts of the country as exact change can no longer be made as the supply of pennies dries up.
October 31, 2025
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Gordon declares public welfare emergency in light of SNAP lapse, OK’s $10 million in aid: The executive order allows Wyoming’s governor to send emergency funds to charitable organizations, churches.
November 1, 2025
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This has the effect of being a cave in to Republican budget cuts.
This must now go back to the House, which of course is in recess.
November 10, 2025
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And tariffs are coming off of all sorts of food items, now that Taco realizes they heard the economy and people are angry.
November 11, 2025
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And with this entry, we'll close out this edition.
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