Land board shuts down Prism’s last Casper Mountain leases

Wyoming’s top elected officials slammed the brakes on Prism Logistics’ sand-and-gravel plans above Casper, voting 3–2 on Thursday to deny renewal of the company’s final two state leases. The decision, aimed at SG-02003 and SG-02004 covering 871.16 acres of state trust land on the southwest flank of Casper Mountain, effectively ends Prism’s state-level go-ahead for the project after six neighboring leases were rejected in June.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray made the motion to deny, arguing Prism couldn’t realistically secure the local permits it needs. Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder seconded, Auditor Kristi Racines joined them, and the majority carried the day. Treasurer Curt Meier pushed back, casting his “no” vote as a fiduciary obligation to Wyoming schools that rely on revenue from trust lands.

The hearing doubled as a proxy fight over how far state leaders should go to referee local development. Prism’s attorney, Deborah Roden, told the board the company had an “exclusive right to renew” because it pursued development in good faith, adding that agencies like the Department of Environmental Quality provide plenty of oversight. Prism’s Kyle True said testing confirmed a substantial gravel reserve and warned that politics were creeping into what should be a straightforward regulatory decision.

Opponents framed it differently. Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance attorney Marci Bramlet pointed to new Natrona County zoning and road-use rules, calling the quarry “practically impossible” to operate and arguing that renewing leases that can’t function would undercut the board’s duty to trust beneficiaries. Residents echoed worries about water, dust, traffic and property values — concerns that first erupted in early 2024 when a backhoe’s exploratory digging tipped the public to the project. Natrona County Commissioner Dave North weighed in, while the Associated General Contractors of Wyoming urged renewal to protect a local supply of affordable construction aggregate.

Beyond Thursday’s vote, the fight moves to the courts. Prism has already sued the State Board of Land Commissioners over June’s nonrenewals and is separately challenging Natrona County’s zoning changes. For now, though, the board’s action leaves Prism without the state leases it needed to dig on Casper Mountain.

The original story by Klark Byrd  for Oil City News.