Opponents of a proposed gravel mine on state lands off of Coates Road in Natrona County started packing county commissioner meetings in early March. Months later, they are still at it.
County commissioners say they can’t do anything right now. With approval from the State Land and Investments Board, Prism Logistics leased the land to assess its use for a gravel mine; commissioners contend they need to wait for Prism Logistics Manager Kyle True to apply for a conditional use permit. That’s when they step in, as commissioners have the power to approve or deny the conditional use permit.
Residents have formed the Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance, which aims to keep a gravel mine operation off the lands at the base of the mountain. They’ve made a website, started a petition with thousands of signatures and been present at numerous county commission meetings to debate, explain, reason with and beg commissioners not to approve a conditional use permit if or when it comes before them.
People are also reading…
The commissioners recognize many of them by name now.
Their points involve things like water, quality of life, environmental impacts, historical areas near the mountain and the beauty and worth of the mountain itself.
“Why do I have to go to Jackson to look at a beautiful mountain?” one person asked. “Why can’t I stay here and do it?”
True spoke at a Liberty’s Place 4 U town hall recently, sharing a presentation in defense of the potential operation and ways he could scale it down. One of the points he made compared Casper Mountain to other traditionally protected areas of the state, like the Tetons or Devils Tower.
Many of the people opposed to his plans don’t believe his claims that he would scale any mining operation down, or that he holds enough respect for Casper Mountain and its foothills.
“I think that once we open the gate to him, he’s gonna build a big, big mine out there,” resident Chris Navarro said. “And then I think once it gets going, we’re not gonna be able to stop him. So we gotta stop him before it starts.”
Heads swiveled when chairman Peter Nicolaysen asked if anyone in the room was in favor of the gravel mine. “His attorneys?” one person quipped, and laughter slowly erupted.
Speaker after speaker came to denounce the proposed operation. They made analogies, presented materials from the preservation alliance and questioned the commissioners.
At one point, Nicolaysen jumped in to answer a question, something the commissioners don’t usually do during the time reserved for public comment.
People could come and speak their minds to the commissioners, he said, but any comments made during a regular public meeting would be just that — comments. It will only be when the commissioners have a conditional use permit on their desks for consideration, when they hold a hearing for it, that the elected body can use public comment as evidence. And they will hold a public hearing, he promised, with plenty of advance notice.
“The kinds of comments that we’ve been hearing at our meetings for the last couple months, presenting that stuff at the time of the public hearing is evidence that the commission can rely on,” he said.
They would not, Nicolaysen said, discuss amongst themselves or actually decide on the conditional use permit in a public meeting. That would happen in an executive session.
“At the time that we have that legal information, we would need to consult with our legal counsel, we would need to explore our options, and then we as a commission would go into executive session and weigh the pros and cons,” he said. “I would tell you that every one of these commissioners and myself have heard loud and clear, at the attendance at our meetings, in our emails, in our phone calls, in our in-person meetings, that this is a very important topic to you folks and to our community and to our future community.”
They cannot and will not give any legal advice or representation, commissioner Dallas Laird clarified. Though they are representing the people, they are more like a court in this sense, not lawyers representing one side or the other.
However, they encouraged people to keep attending meetings.
To fit the bounds of a conditional use permit, the operation must be deemed to have several qualifications, according to the county’s 2022 zoning resolution. Coates Road resident Gregg Werger listed some of them: the operation cannot cause public health detriments, harm the environment or harm the character of the neighborhood, among other things.
“Are you kidding me?” he asked. “[True] has gotta meet all this stuff. ... So I’ve heard all you guys come up here and say this and, really, these are all emotional things, but they all apply.”
County commissioner candidate Terry Wingerter promised that if he is elected in November, he will vote against a conditional use permit, no questions asked.
By the end of public comment, commissioners thanked those who attended and reiterated that they are carefully considering the issue, though they can’t take direct action right now.
A cold, gray drizzle pervaded Casper at the start of the meeting, obscuring Casper Mountain. By the end, though, the rain had cleared, and the skies were a clear, bright blue. The mountain rose, green and strong and vibrant, against it.
Smith is the Casper and Natrona County beat reporter for the Casper Star-Tribune and can be reached at 307-266-0513, Jordan.Smith@trib.com or on X @jordansmith_js.
