County zoning sways state board to deny lease extension for controversial Casper Mountain gravel pit
FROM WYOFILE:
Opponents cheered the move, while lawsuits are still pending over whether county regulations can trump state-sanctioned activities on state-managed lands.
Gravel miner Prism Logistics has lost its two final leases on state-owned “school trust sections” at the base of Casper Mountain, where the company’s proposed gravel pit on the west side of town has contributed to a broader controversy over state-versus-local control of industrial activity throughout Wyoming.
The Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners voted 3-2 on Thursday to deny extending the leases. The board, composed of Gov. Mark Gordon, Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Treasurer Curt Meier and Auditor Kristi Racines, similarly denied Prism’s request in June to extend the two-year terms for six other leases in the area.
Prism obtained all eight leases in 2023 and met fierce opposition from neighbors and residents throughout the county when the leases came to light in 2024. The Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance was formed in response. The group collected more than 20,000 signatures in opposition to the gravel pit. Casper Mountain is a popular local recreation area, drawing hikers, cyclists and skiers.
“We feel a big relief,” Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance cofounder Carolyn Griffith told WyoFile. “It’s not about [the Preservation Alliance]. It’s about the community, the state and what will be most beneficial for everyone.
“We’re supportive of gravel mining,” Griffith added. “But we’re also supportive of it in the right place.”
The winning argument, which Gray noted in his motion and denial vote, was that Natrona County — after the state leases were issued — banned heavy trucks on multiple roads, including Coates Road, which Prism would solely rely on to access the area. The county also modified zoning to ban mining in the area.
Those restrictions preempt Prism from obtaining other permissions both at the county and state level, Gray said.
“I don’t believe Prism is going to be able to [obtain] the necessary authorizations, and I think that’s very important when we consider the fiduciary aspects here,” Gray said. He added that mining the state lands, which are adjacent to a rural neighborhood that relies on a shallow alluvial aquifer, would unduly harm private property rights.
“Again, this is just wrong,” Gray said.
Prism Logistics Manager Kyle True, as well as his attorney, told board members the controversy has been highly “politicized,” obscuring what should be a simple regulatory process.
“In this small state, those who contribute are asked to serve and function in many ways,” True said. “I think there’s a political realm and there’s a regulatory realm.”
The board, despite the political nature of those who serve on it, True suggested, is obligated to extend the leases based on the company’s due diligence to test the gravel resource and the fact that it filed notice with another state agency for a limited mining operation exemption. He urged the board not to be swayed by those opposed to the gravel pit.
“What we’re dealing with is a veritable tempest in a teapot,” True said. “There are sincere passions by people that don’t understand our industry and are bringing up things that simply are inapplicable here.”
Treasurer Meier and Gov. Gordon voted against Gray’s motion to deny the lease extensions.
“I think this has been politicized, and this necessarily isn’t the right place to play politics,” Meier said. He noted that the Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance is exploring ideas to create recreational and educational opportunities on the state lands that might generate revenue as an alternative to mining.
“It struck me that the course of action that you probably should entertain,” Meier told Griffith, “is to let us run the regulatory aspect of it, but go to your politicians within your district and ask them to make that a state park.”
State versus local control
True still holds out hope that Prism will eventually win its way to mining gravel at the base of Casper Mountain, he told WyoFile. The board’s denial to extend the company’s leases, he noted, seems to counter its contention that counties may not impose zoning and safety regulations that might impede state-sanctioned activities on state-managed school trust sections.
In fact, the state-versus-county question was already simmering before Prism’s controversial gravel pit.
The state sued Teton County several years ago to prevent it from enforcing its codes and regulations on a glamping operation, which the state had permitted on a school trust section. The state won and, upon appeal, the Wyoming Supreme Court confirmed in April that “the State Board and its permittees on state land are not subject to a county’s land use and development regulations.”
Meanwhile, Prism is asking for judicial review, challenging the Natrona County Board of Commissioners for imposing zoning and safety regulations that were enacted after the company acquired its state leases. Prism has also filed a petition for judicial review in the 7th District Court in Natrona County in July, claiming the state’s lease extension denial in June was “contrary to law” because the company insists it had met conditions qualifying for an extension.
Both lawsuits are still pending.
WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
This story was posted on Oct. 6, 2025.