Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance Files Civil Rights Complaint in District Court

The Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance (CMPA) and residents whose homes are adjacent to State lands leased for the purpose of mining sand and gravel have filed a Civil Rights Complaint for Declaratory Action in Natrona County District Court on November 22.

The premise of the complaint is: “The Plaintiffs are seeking a Declaration from the Court that the eight (8) referenced leases between the State of Wyoming, Board of Land Commissioners and Prism Logistics, LLC, are void as leases were entered into by the Board without first providing reasonable and meaningful notice or opportunity to be heard by Plaintiffs or anyone else in the general public. As such, these leases were issued by the Board and its members in explicit contravention of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and Wyoming Constitution’s Declaration of Rights, art. 1 § 6 (Due Process of Law), and are void for failure of legal process.”

According to a statement from the CMPA, homeowners first learned about leases for the State lands near their homes when they witnessed a backhoe on the State lands digging exploration holes on February 14, 2024.

"For decades, the area has been zoned to control housing densities due to the fragile, relatively shallow water source. It was unfathomable to many living in the area that a gravel mining operation that could dig dozens of feet deep and easily penetrate the Cody Shale layer risking water supplies would be considered an acceptable activity for the area" wrote the CMPA.

Plaintiffs, including the CMPA, are claiming their civil rights were violated by not being notified of the State’s intent to lease the lands for sand and gravel mining.

The CMPA says it is actively researching opportunities to create a long-term solution to preserve the water and air quality for the residents in the community while also creating income for the Wyoming’s schools through appropriate utilization of State-owned sections of land.