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Contextual Rhetorical Analysis: A Research and Practice Brief for Engaging Communities in Advanced Nuclear Energy Facility Siting
Bourque, Maggie Budowle, Rachael
Bourque, Maggie
Budowle, Rachael
Abstract
In November 2021, the private company TerraPower, in partnership with electric utility PacifiCorp and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) via its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), announced plans to site its Natrium advanced nuclear reactor near the retiring Naughton coal-fired power plant in Kemmerer, located in southwest Wyoming. This project marks the first commercial advanced nuclear energy facility to begin construction in the United States. This research and practice brief summarizes a Contextual Rhetorical Analysis chapter from a longer Cultural History report and helps establish a baseline understanding of recent discourse about Kemmerer, Wyoming and the Natrium facility. Specifically, we reviewed recent media coverage to inform a landscape-level understanding of key messages and common themes about this context. A contextual rhetorical analysis shows how different types of communication - both formal and informal - may shape policies and decisions.
Description
Date
2025-07-17
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University of Wyoming Libraries
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Keywords
Engaging Communities in Nuclear Siting,advanced nuclear energy,community engagement,nuclear facility siting,natrium reactor,contextual rhetorical analysis