Group Says It Has 15,000 Signatures Opposing Controversial Casper Gravel Pit

CASPER — Plans to mine gravel from 300 acres of state-owned land at the base of Casper Mountain continues to rile up locals who say the economic benefits of the project aren’t worth losing access to the pristine tract of land.

Kyle True, manager of Prism Logistics, which is pushing to mine gravel on a state lease it has, pitched the project again to area residents Thursday at the Ramkota Hotel.

The meeting comes as Prism’s plan to mine gravel continues to be the target of organized opposition, which says it’s gathered 15,000 signatures on petitions of people who don’t want it.

While he had a vocal supporter, most of the 30 or so people there argued against the gravel pit, questioning and challenging True and the company.

True said the impact to the area won’t be 300 acres at once, that the company will start with a limited mining operation (LMO) and then expand to a large one. He said Prism would only mine fewer than 30 acres at a time, while reclaiming the land behind it.

He said the area, called the School Sections, were constitutionally designed for economic activity to support public schools, which the gravel mine would do.

“We are doing what was intended before anyone built a house there before anyone built a road there,” he said. “This section was set aside for economic activity, so we are in the right place.”

True said the mining is needed and that two other gravel mines were recently reactivated in the Casper area, one south of the country club and one on Roberson Road.

He also talked about the monitoring that takes place by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality that would address water and air quality concerns.

He told Cowboy State Daily that his request for DEQ air and water permits are in process, and he expects to be before the Natrona County Planning and Zoning Commission next month to apply for a special use permit in September.

Residents Not Sold

While much of the Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance, a local group that formed in opposition of Prism’s plans, boycotted the meeting, well-known artist and group member Chris Navarro was at the information session Thursday.

He challenged True about the company’s intentions should the county deny its conditional use permit.

“You made the statement that if you were denied the CUP that you would look (for) gravel elsewhere,” Navarro said. “So, if you are the denied the CUP then this will be the end of it for us?”

“Not at all,” True responded. “If a conditional use permit is denied, I will be interested to see why it’s denied and how it’s denied.”

He also said Prism could have reason to challenge the denial, but didn’t specifically say the company would do so.

“And it brings up a really fascinating question about who decides what use the land should be put to. Who owns this land?” he said. “If the county commissioners can tell the State Land Board what they can do, that becomes a further question and it’s out of my hands.

“That might bounce back to the Legislature. It’s come up in Teton County and it’s come up here.”

What About The Petitions?

Navarro also asked True why he and Prism haven’t gotten the message that their gravel pit operation isn’t welcome there.

He said the Preservation Alliance has gathered 15,000 signatures on petitions against it.

“The community has spoken that they don’t want this gravel pit there,” he said. “There are a few individuals, like yourself, who are going to benefit from this and that’s why you are driving this.”

True countered that Navarro and other members of the opposition group are spreading misinformation. He said mining “5% of one section will not destroy the mountain.”

Gravel pit opponent Bruce Lawson, who lives on Coates Road close to the proposed mine, challenged True about why he intends to start with a limited mining operation and then go to a large mining operation.

“With all the concerns of all the homeowners that live adjacent or near your operations, if your ultimate goal is a large mine operation, why don’t you respect those people, forego the LMO and permit this as a large mine operation at the git-go?” he said. “That way you have to do all the baseline environment analysis (on) … those things exempted by the LMO.”

True replied that “in the state of Wyoming, it is generally recognized and accepted that a 15-acre disturbance is simply not going to have the negative impacts that you are concerned about.”

Truck Concerns

One speaker, who declined to give his name, told True he had spoken with him privately and had come to his previous presentation, but would not return to any other sessions because True seemed dismissive of legitimate concerns.

He was concerned about the semitruck traffic on Coates Road.

“Those trucks will drive 100 feet past my kids every day, and to act like I am not legit in my concerns is offending,” he said. “I have a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old … and there are safety concerns. You have said there are no safety concerns.

“Every meeting I’ve gone to I’ve heard you say that my concerns are more or less not valid, and I think that is unfair.”

Some Support

Calvin Decker identified himself as a retired gravel operator with years of experience in the gravel and concrete industry.

He said he agrees with True that the petitions put forward by the Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance are “misinformation.”

“They talked about things that are not true for the gravel industry and not true for that type of material,” he said. “I’ve mined regular gravel, dredged, and shot rock. When somebody has a petition and they’ve been coached and they talk about silica … silica is not in granite. All these things they’ve come up with to get people to sign these petitions, it’s very unfair.”

Earlier Thursday, Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance Chairperson Carolyn Griffith said many members were going to boycott the meeting because of a perceived lack of transparency on True’s part regarding specifics of his mining intentions.

She said the group sponsored a float in Tuesday’s Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo parade in Casper opposing the gravel pit.

Prism Plans

True also told the audience that to address concerns raised against the mining operation, his plans call for:

• Crushing the rock at a different industrial site to reduce air quality particulate issues.

• His firm to maintain the quality of Coates Road for the life of the mining operation.

• Replacement of water wells or connection to city water if possible for homes with water issues affected by the mining.

• Side-dump semis that haul 40 tons of gravel to travel 20 mph on Coates Road and not use Jake brakes.

“We do not anticipate an impact on water supply. The 15 acres, I don’t think is going to have any impact on anyone’s water well or anyone’s water supply,” he said. “We’ve looked at it, we’ve had a geo-hydrologist look at it. On the other hand, we can’t know can we, I can’t know everything about the future.”

When questioned by Cowboy State Daily about who the geo-hydrologist was, True backtracked and said, “maybe I misspoke.”

“I’m hesitant to say, because we hired a firm that does all kinds of that work and we got a product from them, but I don’t know who within that firm did that, so maybe I overstated that,” he said. “We had ground water experts, whether it was hydrologist or water engineer.”

True also addressed home values, alleging that other gravel pit areas in Casper have pricey homes around them and values have not been affected by those.

A mining operation at the base of Casper Mountain would create 15 new jobs and send millions of dollars to the state coffers to support schools, he said.

Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.