Bill Gates-backed ‘Cowboy Chernobyl’ nuclear reactor races toward approval in Wyoming

Bill Gates-backed ‘Cowboy Chernobyl’ nuclear reactor races toward approval in Wyoming

For longtime Wyoming resident Steve Helling, the risks outweigh the promises. “Wyoming is being used as a guinea pig for this nuclear experiment,” By Samantha Olander, Jan. 10, 2026 A Bill Gates-backed nuclear reactor dubbed “Cowboy Chernobyl” by critics is barreling toward approval in rural Wyoming, alarming residents and nuclear safety experts as regulators fast-track the project under a Trump-era order. TerraPower, founded by the Microsoft gu…