WILSON, Wyo. — On March 31, the Supreme Court for the State of Wyoming unanimously dismissed Protect Our Water Jackson Hole’s (POWJH) motion to challenge Basecamp Hospitality LLC’s (Basecamp) state-issued permit to construct and operate a septic system for its Tammah glamping resort located near Teton Village.
Chief Justice Kate M. Fox wrote in the court’s records that POWJH challenged the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) issue of the septic permit by seeking a “declaratory judgment that DEQ did not have authority to issue the permit.” The district court originally dismissed the complaint, causing POWJH to appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court. The Supreme Court denied POWJH’s motion for reconsideration based on “POWJH’s lack of standing,” or legal right to challenge the permit.
“The district court dismissed the complaint, relying on several alternative arguments made by DEQ and Basecamp,” Fox wrote.
According to court records, POWJH argued that only Teton County should have the authority to issue the permit, not the state of Wyoming.
“Somehow Tammah managed to get a permit directly from the state,” POWJH Executive Director Phil Powers told WyoFile. “That just skipped over the expectations we have in the county — we think that’s inappropriate.”
According to the DEQ, “all waters within the Fish Creek drainage” near Wilson are designated as Class I waterways to protect its drinking water values. According to POWJH, any further development in the region could threaten the Fish Creek watershed with pollutants.
