Rebecca Watson
Shareholder
rwatson@wsmtlaw.com
Rebecca focuses her practice on public land access and energy development for oil and gas, solar, wind, geothermal, and transmission with an emphasis on federal environmental law. Rebecca represents clients in federal court and before state agencies, Congress, and the Departments of Interior and Energy and the U.S. Forest Service. She is an experienced advisor and trial lawyer in the areas of Federal Land Policy Management Act, National Forest Management Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and Clean Water Act.
Prior to joining WSMT, Rebecca served as a sub-cabinet official in the U.S. Department of the Interior as the Assistant Secretary for Lands and Minerals Management during President George W. Bush's first term. In that position she led 12,000 employees, managed a budget of over $1 billion and provided policy guidance to three bureaus – Bureau of Land Management, Minerals Management Service, and Office of Surface Mining – which together have the responsibility for management of federal energy resources. She also implemented the President's multiple-use management policies for mining, recreation, forestry, and wildlife on more than 261 million acres in the western United States. Rebecca was honored by the Boone and Crockett Club, the oldest U.S. organization committed to the conservation of wildlife, for her work in conservation while at the Department of the Interior. She has also served as the Assistant General Counsel for Energy Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy in the George H.W. Bush administration.
Rebecca began her legal career as a Federal District Law Clerk in Wyoming and as an associate and partner in a Sheridan, Wyoming law firm. Rebecca has been a partner and counsel in two Washington D.C. law firms and was a managing partner of a firm in Helena, Montana. In 2011, she was appointed the Distinguished Natural Resources Practitioner-in-Residence at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law where she taught a seminar on natural resource law. Rebecca has testified before Congress repeatedly, is a frequent speaker, and has written numerous articles on natural resources and federal environmental law and energy policy.
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Provided strategic permitting advice to the first utility solar project on public lands, developed first-of-their kind solutions to regulatory hurdles
- Advised solar project on successful resolution of siting conflict between Department of Defense and Department of the Interior
- Represented Western Energy Alliance and oil and gas companies in a successful lawsuit to enforce compliance with a statutory lease issuance deadline in the Mineral Leasing Act
- Represented a wind company seeking to permit projects on public land and U.S. Forest Service lands with permitting challenges including visibility, cultural resources and sensitive lands
- Represented oil and gas industry as an expert witness before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on the federal preemption implications of proposed state rules
- Prepared the geothermal industry’s rulemaking comments on the Energy Policy Act of 2005 amendments to the Geothermal Steam Act
PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS & ACCOLADES
- Energy & Water: Federal Clean Water Act Case & Policy Update,” 2011 Montana Water Seminar (Sept. 2011)
- “Uranium Mining: Challenges of Agency Coordination,” UR2011 SME National Uranium Mining Conference, Casper, WY (Sept. 2011)
- “Public Land Wind and Solar: Lessons Learned and New Guidance,” Moderator, Infocast Webinar, June 2011
- “Lessons Learned from Streamlining NEPA,” Rocky Mtn. Min. L. Fdn., Special Institute, October 2011
- “New (and Old) Energy on Public Lands,” Colorado Bar Association, October 2011
- “The Past, Present and Future of Our Public Lands: The Role of Public Lands in the Energy and Climate Debates,” University of Colorado Law School, Martz Conference on Law and Policy, June 2010
- “Federal Wind Energy Policy and Permitting,” Denver Chapter of the Women of Wind Energy, April 2010
- “Federal Energy Policy and the Department of the Interior,” University of Colorado, Western American Studies Certificate Program, March 2010
- “Stimulating NEPA: Oxymoron or Not?,” CLE International, December 2009
- “Renewable Power Projects on Federal Lands: Wind and Sun and the FLPMA Right-of-Way—is it Working?” Energy Development, Special Institute, Paper 10, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute, September 2009
- “Permitting Solar and Wind Projects on Federal Lands: FLPMA & Interior's New Energy for American Initiative,” Webinar, August 2009
- “Western Water Law and Policy in the New Administration: Water and Energy,” University of Colorado Martz Conference on Law and Policy, June 2009
- “Expanding Use of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Renewable Energy Development on Public Lands.” Public Lands and Resources Committee Newsletter, ABA, July 2009
- “State Surface Owner Protection Laws: Tales of Preemption, Federalism and a Changing West.” Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Journal, Vol. 45, No .1, July 2008
- “Coalbed Natural Gas Produced Water Handling: New Challenges for a Key Issue,” International Energy Law and Taxation Review, August 2007
- “CBM Produced Water: Water Rights and Water Quality – A Meeting of the Waters?,” 52 Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, 2006
* "The Wyoming State Bar does not certify any lawyer as a specialist, or expert. Anyone considering a lawyer should independently investigate the lawyer's credentials and ability, and not rely upon advertisements, or self-proclaimed expertise."
-- Rule 7.2, Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct
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PRACTICE AREAS
- Environmental Law
- Mining
- Oil and Gas
- Public Lands
- Renewable and Alternative Energy
EDUCATION
- J.D., University of Denver, 1978
- M.A., University of Denver, 1975
- B.A., University of Denver, Phi Beta Kappa, 1974
BAR ADMISSIONS / QUALIFICATIONS
- Wyoming*
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Montana
Professional & Community Activities
- Board Member, Center of the American West
- Board Member, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado
- Board Member, Western Energy Alliance
- Member, Jefferson County Open Space Advisory Committee
- Trustee, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation
- Former Member, National Petroleum Council, U.S. Department of Energy
- Former Chair, American Bar Association, Section of Natural Resource Energy and Environment, Public Lands Committee and Section of Administrative Law, Natural Resources Committee
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