Governor Gordon to Address Proposed Gravel Pit at Upcoming State Board Meeting

The State Board of Land Commissioners and State Loan Investment Board are prepared to hold a meeting on April 4 at 9:00 a.m. at the Thyra Thompson State Office Building.

The meeting is slated to go until 1:00 p.m. in the Round House room. The Chair is Governor Mark Gordon. The other board members include the Secretary of State, State Auditor, State Treasurer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction.

They have several agenda items, including an informative slot to "educate" the public on their process as it relates to the proposed gravel pit on Coates Road at the base of Casper Mountain.

There will be a public comment portion of the meeting.

The Casper Mountain Preservation Alliance group, a recent development, strongly opposes the proposed gravel pit with hundreds of members speaking out against the possibility of a gravel pit at the foothills of Casper mountain.

"This is your opportunity to stand with your neighbors, friends, and family to protect the natural beauty and health of Natrona County. Citizen comments are a pivotal part of the meeting, providing a direct platform to express your concerns and opposition" their official website states.

The State board's spokeswoman Mellissa DeFratis says the room holds about 100 people, but they have already reserved a second room for overflow.

The State Board of Land Commissioners is constitutionally charged with optimizing revenue from state trust lands to support public education and beneficiary institutions, while concurrently striving to protect, conserve, and maintain the lands so they may be used by future generations.

On May 18, Governor Gordon vetoed SF0044.

In his bill, Gordon said that the amended bill would not change the particular circumstances of that gravel operation, and there is not a pending application for a LMO from that operation.

"Statutory changes are not the proper place to address specific concerns for individual operations" wrote the governor. "While Wyoming seeks to manage her state lands cooperatively with counties and their land use plans, the state is not constrained by them. State lands and minerals are important to our state's economic well-being and need to be treated the same as other lands in the state."

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