Wyoming
Wyoming saw the Mountain West's most visible local pushback in Cheyenne/Laramie County (a resident petition and a proposed 12-month moratorium), but the Cheyenne City Council rejected the pause 9-1 on May 26, 2026, keeping the state on a pro-development footing amid a pipeline of up to 40-70 projects (Cowboy State Daily, Cowboy State Daily (petition)).
ILens Signals
Civic/Governance Barriers activates on moratorium-class action (C1) — governance instruments on the electoral, legislative, and regulatory surface (protocol §10; Overview Civic breakout). Energy/Power (grid capacity) and Water/Geology (arid high plains) are the drivers; the Cheyenne debate over whether data centers raise or lower electricity costs for existing ratepayers remains a live cost-of-power discussion rather than an enacted cost-allocation regime (Cowboy State Daily).
IIKey 2026 Races
None identified. No 2026 Wyoming federal, state, or local race centered on data centers surfaced; the issue appears in local planning, public comment, and utility policy rather than candidate contests (Cowboy State Daily (petition)).
IIIMoratorium · Ban Status
No statewide moratorium and no enacted local pause: after a resident petition and hours of testimony, the Cheyenne City Council voted 9-1 on May 26, 2026 to REJECT a proposed 12-month moratorium (Councilman Mark Moody the sole yes) (Cowboy State Daily, Wyoming Public Media).
IVRatepayer · Cost-Shift Legislation
None identified as enacted 2026 statute; a Davis Graham 'Wyoming Data Center Playbook' (May 2026) documents the regulatory landscape, and Cheyenne officials argue data centers could lower electricity costs, indicating the ratepayer question is live but unresolved (Davis Graham playbook, Cowboy State Daily).
VBallot Measures
None identified. Ballotpedia lists no statewide ballot measures for Wyoming's Nov. 3, 2026 ballot and no data-center measure (Cowboy State Daily (petition)).
VITop Contested Sites
Cheyenne/Laramie County pipeline described as up to 40-70 data centers in various stages; Evanston, by contrast, is welcoming projects (Cowboy State Daily (two towns), Cowboy State Daily (petition)).
VIITalent · Workforce
Not a prominent 2026 dimension; economic-benefit framing (lower rates, jobs) dominates the pro-development case (Cowboy State Daily (electricity costs)).
VIIIData Center Cluster Size
Growing — Cheyenne/Laramie County is the hub (Microsoft, Meta history plus a large stated pipeline of up to 40-70 projects) (Cowboy State Daily (petition)).
IXKey Quote
Councilman Mark Moody, the lone moratorium supporter, asked, "Can we have 40-70 data centers?" (Cowboy State Daily).