“You Are A Liar”: Angry Crowd Quickly Turns On Casper Gravel Pit Developer

CASPER — It didn’t take long Thursday night for a neighborhood meeting to discuss a controversial gravel mine on state land at the base of Casper Mountain to devolve into angry accusations the developer is a “liar” and “gaslighting” the public.

The meeting was required for Prism Logistics in its pursuit of a conditional use permit from the Natrona County Commission to mine for gravel on 300 acres in what is now a popular public open space area.

More than 100 locals filed into the University of Wyoming Extension building in Casper to listen to the a pitch from Prism Logistics Manager Kyle True, and they quickly turned on him.

There have been several other meetings about the proposed gravel pit, and the crowd said they still have direct questions they wanted direct answers to.

“We all want to improve Casper in the long term,” True said as he launched his presentation. “We will harvest what we need and protect what we love. … We will not be a nuisance to neighbors.”

That statement inflamed a crowd that was already emotional over what’s been a monthslong fight over the gravel mine.

“It’s across the street from my house,” a voice shouted. “You are a liar.”

True appeared to cut short his planned presentation that talked about how now is the “right time” for a gravel pit in Natrona County and the spot his company has leased from the state is the “right place” because that section of property is earmarked to generate revenue for Wyoming schools.

When those in attendance stepped up to have their say, the meeting grew more confrontational.

‘God-Fearing Man?’

Jim Gunderson wanted to know if True considered himself a “God-fearing man.” True replied he does.

Gunderson then challenged him with a Bible passage from the book of Matthew, “So in everything do to others as you would have them do to you.”

“If you are a man of God and you continue to move forward with this operation, how can you be a man of God when you are using this location?” Gunderson asked.

True replied that if his neighbor uses his property in a legal way, “I don’t complain about it.”

“We have gone through a legal process, the OSLI (Office of State Lands and Investments) has approved this,” True added.

While that’s correct, the company also needs a conditional use permit from the county.

At her turn at the microphone, Casper Mountain Land Preservation Chairperson Carolyn Griffith reminded True that Gov. Mark Gordon and other members of the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners, when they visited the proposed mine location, stated they did not realize how many homes were adjacent to the leased state property they approved.

The lease approvals were part of consent agendas.

“Having seen that, they said, ‘We should not have permitted these leases,’” Griffith said. “They said that publicly.”

Griffith said her group has more than 17,000 signatures on petitions against the proposed gravel mine at the base of the mountain, many of those coming without the group actively seeking signers. She said people are seeking them out.

“You are in a position, you’ve got the five state officials, 17,000 signatures plus, you could step away from this and be a community hero at this point for doing the right thing,” she said.

“This is not a popularity contest, obviously,” True replied.

Griffith also wanted to know where else in Natrona County that Prism Logistics has looked for gravel. True said that many areas of the county have sandstone and areas that have the gravel, such as by the Shirley Mountains, that would be cost prohibitive to transport from.

Road Trips

Casper Mountain Alliance Preservation member Chris Navarro challenged True on the price Coates Road neighbors would pay in truck traffic to allow the gravel pit to benefit Wyoming schools by at least $2 million.

At 60 cents a ton, the current rate True must pay the state, it would mean 166,500 trips of semitrailers that can haul 40 tons going past Coates Road houses with a load and returning empty 20 years, Navarro said. That’s if they work five days a week and eight hours a day.

“Who wants to live on a road where you see a big dump truck coming down the road every 15 minutes a day?” he asked.

Coates Road resident Loren Anderson told True she lives 50 feet off the road and wanted to know what he was going to do to control dust created by all the truck traffic. Both she and her husband, Jerry, have asthma.

“I will not be able to live there with the increased dust,” she said.

True said he plans to maintain the road to the county’s satisfaction and has promised to upgrade the road as needed to keep it from deteriorating with the increased semi traffic. He said he would seek expertise to control the dust.

Gregg Werger, who also lives off Coates Road, asked True if an employee of his sits on the air quality board at the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, which has to approve any gravel mining operation air quality permits.

“Candidly, I don’t know, but it’s likely,” True said. “He is on a lot of advisory boards. He is very active in the industry.”

The DEQ website lists the employee as a member.

Permits ‘In Process’

True told Cowboy State Daily that his requests for air quality and water quality permits are “in process” with the DEQ. He hopes to have them by the end of the year.

As part of the county process for a conditional use permit, required because land in the proposed mine area is zoned for residential use, True said he has to file a summary of Thursday’s meeting as part of his application to the county.

True said he was unsure about the timing of the conditional use permit, but hopes he can have it by the end of the year.

Natrona County Commission Chairman Peter Nicolaysen, who attend the meeting, said afterward that if or when the planning board makes a recommendation to the commission about a conditional use permit there would be additional hearings to obtain evidence on the request from residents and True.

Among stipulations written into the county’s regulation on a conditional use permit, the rules state that a permit “shall be approved” provided granting it:

• Will not contribute to overburdening county services.

• Will not cause “substantial or unmitigated traffic, parking, or environmental problems.”

• Will not impair the use of adjacent property or alter the character of the neighborhood.

• Will not “detrimentally” affect public health, safety and welfare.

True has repeatedly stated he will meet all legal requirements for the mine operation and comply with DEQ standards for both air and water quality.

While he plans to begin with a limited mining operation of 15 acres, True said he will apply for a regular mining permit that would require significantly more investment and environmental impact studies to expand operations. He said he expects to have no more than 15-30 acres active at any one time. True said reclamation would happen as the mining moves to adjacent locations.

For residents such as Daniel Wisotzkey, who said Thursday he lives on Squaw Creek and is afraid of losing water for his household and horses because of the fragile water system on the mountain base, True has promised to either drill wells or connect people to city water. He said Prism Logistics would cover all capital expenses.

“We don’t believe we will have impact on area water supplies,” True said.

True also told the crowd he did not believe a gravel pit would affect property values in the area, stating there are hundreds of homes downwind of other gravel pits in the Casper area whose values don’t seem to be affected.

Contact Dale Killingbeck at dale@cowboystatedaily.com

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