Prism files new lawsuit in Casper Mountain lease renewal denial

CASPER — Prism Logistics, the company fighting to keep its now-expired exploratory leases on plots of land near Casper Mountain, has filed another lawsuit in an effort to retain some of the leases it has lost in the past year.

Attorneys for the company last Thursday filed a petition for judicial review that seeks to determine whether the State Board of Land Commissioners “properly followed its’ [sic] statutory and regulatory framework” in choosing to allow Prism’s leases to expire on Oct. 1.

The Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners voted 3-2 to deny Prism’s request for lease renewal at its Oct. 2 meeting.

The three votes to end the lease came from Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder and State Auditor Kristi Racines.

Gov. Mark Gordon and State Treasurer Curt Meier voted to renew.

At that meeting, Prism and one of its attorneys characterized the efforts of the Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance as bringing a political issue into a regulatory venue and argued that the state board has a responsibility to renew the lease if the appropriate conditions are met.

The latter argument was echoed in Prism’s most recent filing, with the company claiming it met three of the four conditions outlined in state statute that would compel the board to renew its lease.

Only one of the conditions has to be met.

“[The] lessee shall have exclusive right to renew the lease for successive terms of 10 years each, if at the time the application for renewal failed,"according to the cited lead-up to the conditions.

While it does appear that Prism has met at least one of the relevant conditions — particularly one indicating “the lessee is proceeding in good faith to develop the leased lands” — the cited statute does not state explicitly that the board is obligated to renew the lease if a condition is met, just that the “lessee shall have exclusive right to renew the lease.”

The recent filing is similar to one filed by Prism in June regarding the State Board of Land Commissioners’ decision not to renew six other leases formerly held by Prism.

Court documents indicate that the state board’s deadline to respond is January.

Representatives of Gordon, Meier and Degenfelder declined to comment on the litigation.

This story was published on Oct. 16, 2025.