Nuclear Development and the Future of Wyoming’s Public Lands

Wyoming's renewed push toward nuclear energy development is often framed as an economic opportunity. But as federal and state leaders accelerate siting, licensing, and deployment - particularly on public lands - important questions remain about who bears the long-term risks and how those decisions affect Wyoming's land-based industries.

In this report, Nuclear Development and the Future of Wyoming's Public Lands, Wyoming Liberty Leaders intern Emma Hamlin examines an often overlooked dimension of the nuclear conversation: the impact of nuclear infrastructure on agriculture and grazing operations that depend on public lands. Ranchers and agricultural producers rely on long-term land access, stable regulatory frameworks, and predictable oversight—conditions that can be disrupted when public lands are repurposed for industrial use or when federal safeguards are weakened.

This analysis does not support or oppose nuclear development. Instead, it evaluates whether current policy and regulatory approaches adequately account for the economic, operational, and generational risks imposed on Wyoming's ranching community. By grounding the discussion in land-use realities, federal regulatory trends, and the WyLiberty Policy Compass framework, this report aims to inform a more balanced and disciplined policy conversation. One that recognizes energy innovation while protecting established industries that steward Wyoming's public lands and rural economy.