Federal Oil & Gas Leasing Short Course

GREG NIBERT is a native of Roswell, New Mexico. He and his wife, Carolyn, have two sons, Gregory, an oil and gas lawyer in Denver, and Jeff, a farmer in Roswell.  He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Mexico in 1980 and received a Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Pepperdine University in 1983.  He was Editor in Chief of the Pepperdine Law Review for 1982-83.  He is a partner in Hinkle Shanor LLP and his practice is focused on Oil and Gas Law.  He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1993, Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business since 2005.  He was selected as the Natural Resource Lawyer of the Year in 2015 by the New Mexico Bar Section on Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law.  In 2016, Mr. Nibert was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives, District 59 (Chaves and Lincoln Counties) where he continues to serve. He represents New Mexico on the Executive Board of the Energy Council.  The Rural Water Users Association selected Greg as the Legislator of the Year for 2018 and he received an award from the Association of Commerce and Industry for work on legislation promoting economic development in the State.  Greg was one of two New Mexico legislators invited to attend the Fourth China United States Governor’s Conference in the People’s Republic of China in 2018 to promote New Mexico business in China. Greg is a past president of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico and continues to serve on its Board of Directors.  He was the Treasurer (2013-15) and a member of the Board of Directors (2011-15) of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.  He previously served as a Chaves County Commissioner from 2007 through 2014.  While Chairman of the Commission he successfully fought the US Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent the listing of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard and the Lesser Prairie Chicken.   He has presented numerous papers and speeches to a number of organizations on oil and gas law topics, including the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, American Association of Professional Landmen, University of Texas, and Center for International and American Law Energy Law Institute.

JAMES P. ALLEN is an associate with the Salt Lake City law firm of Snell & Wilmer. His practice is focused on regulatory issues surrounding development of natural resources, including water, mining, oil & gas, wildlife, and public lands. He assists clients with all phases of the administrative process, including permit applications, conferences, hearings, appeals and litigation.  Jim's background as an engineer permits him to interact effectively with state and federal regulators on a variety of technical issues. His practice includes advising clients on water rights, mining, oil & gas development and land-use issues. Jim has represented clients in both administrative and judicial actions that involve the full spectrum of federal laws regulating natural resources and land use, including the Surface Mine Control & Reclamation Act (SMCRA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Federal Land Management Policy Act (FLPMA), Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and Mineral Leasing Act. His Utah experience includes the Utah Mined Land Reclamation Act, Coal Mine Safety Act, Oil & Gas Conservation Code, Water & Irrigation Code, Utah Wildlife Code, and Coal Mining & Reclamation Act. Prior to joining Snell & Wilmer, Jim served as counsel to the Utah Department of Natural Resources, including the Divisions of Oil, Gas & Mining, Forestry, Fire & State Lands, Wildlife Resources, Water Resources, and the Utah State Engineer. He was staff attorney and report editor for the Utah Mine Safety Commission created by Governor Jon Hunstman to assess Utah's role in regulation of mine safety in the aftermath of the Crandall Canyon Mine accidents of 2007. Jim has appeared regularly before the Utah Board of Oil, Gas & Mining and has represented clients on natural resource matters in state and federal district courts.

REBECCA BACA has worked for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado State office as a Land Law Examiner (LLE) and Oil and Gas (O&G) Leasing Lead since October 2011. Along with coordinating the quarterly O&G lease sales for the federal minerals in Colorado, she also takes on processing the applications for leasing under special acts aka as 30 act leases. As a Senior LLE she adjudicates complex cases where public land administration polices and national interest factors are involved. Her expertise and advice is sought after by other BLM state office leasing leads, the public, and attorneys. With her background in education she is called upon to teach other LLEs. Prior to working on the O&G adjudication staff, she worked in the BLM Colorado State Office public room as the Dockets clerk. Rebecca graduated from the University of Colorado in December for 2007, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education, with an emphasis in elementary education and a minor in History.

SCOTT M. CAMPBELL is a member at Poulson, Odell and Peterson in Denver, Colorado. He practices primarily in the area of natural resource litigation, both in state and federal court, and before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on adjudicative and rulemaking proceedings, the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on adjudicative proceedings, and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Interior Board of Land Appeals, on various permitting, leasing, environmental and unit issues. He also has experience in appellate, bankruptcy, commercial, and probate practice. Mr. Campbell graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1989, where he obtained a B.S. degree in Mineral Economics, with a minor in the Legal Environment of Business. He obtained his J.D. degree in 1994 from the University of Denver College of Law where he also served as a General Editor of the Denver University Law Review. Mr. Campbell is admitted to practice law in Colorado, North Dakota and Wyoming, before the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Campbell is a member of the Denver and Colorado Bar Associations, the North Dakota Bar Association, the Wyoming Bar Association, the Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen, the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, and the Natural Resources & Energy Law Section of the Colorado Bar Association, where he also served as a past Chair of the Section. Mr. Campbell was also an at-large trustee for the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation for two years from 2011-2012.  He also serves on the faculty for the Foundation’s Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Short Course, where he also served as Chair for two years, 2011 and 2013.

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J. DAVID CHASE is the chief of the Reservoir Management Group (RMG) for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Casper. He is responsible for the following BLM programs in Wyoming: unitization and communitization, drainage, gas storage, Indian diligence, and reasonable foreseeable development scenarios for NEPA documents. After receiving a B.S. degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Wyoming in December 1983, he started his BLM career in Lander in February 1984 as a drilling and production engineer. He transferred to Rock Springs in June 1987 to work with the BLM as a reservoir engineer. In August 1993, when the RMG was formed, Dave moved to Casper to work as a reservoir engineer before becoming the chief in July 2008. Dave has a wide range of knowledge working with all aspects of unitization agreements including lease suspensions and unavoidable delay requests, paying well determinations and establishment/revisions of participating areas. He also has a wide range of knowledge with well spacing and communitization agreements. During the past ten years, Dave has presented agreements training to various BLM, ONRR, and industry personnel in a wide variety of settings.

HEIDI HANDE is U.S. Legal Counsel with Enerplus Resources in Denver, Colorado. Heidi graduated from the University of Wyoming with degrees in Environment and Natural Resources/Psychology, Political Science, and later with a J.D.  Heidi is licensed in Wyoming, Colorado, and her home state of North Dakota. She is a past President of the Denver Association of Oil and Gas Title Lawyers, teaches and participates in RMMLF Special Institutes, is a member of the Editorial Board for the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Journal, and member of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado. 

MATTHEW A. HARTFORD is Counsel - Occidental Petroleum Corporation in Denver.  Previous to Occidental, Matt was in private practice at Davis, Graham & Stubbs LLP where he focused on transactional, title, commission, and litigation matters for both publicly traded and private oil and gas exploration companies with operations in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, and Utah.  Before DGS, Matt was with the Wyoming and New Mexico offices of Beatty & Wozniak focusing on transactional, title, litigation and oil and gas commission matters for exploration and production companies.  Prior to private practice, Matt interned for the late Senator Craig Thomas and served as his advance team coordinator during his 2006 Senatorial Campaign.  Matt has been around the oil and gas industry his whole life. Growing up in Rock Springs and Powell, Wyoming, Matt spent most of his school breaks in the fields of southwest Wyoming, as a production roustabout, and learning about the industry and the processes by which our nation meets its energy needs.  Matt received his J.D. from the University of Wyoming School of Law and is licensed to practice law in Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the District of Wyoming and New Mexico.  Matt is a member of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, and is a member of the RMMLF Membership Committee.  He also contributes as an update author for the Law of Federal Oil and Gas Leases and the American Law of Mining.  Matt has presented on various topics including surface access, involuntary pooling, and master service agreements.

JARED A. HEMBREE is a partner in the Roswell, New Mexico office of Hinkle Shanor LLP and is an adjunct professor at Washington & Lee University School of Law, where he teaches Oil and Gas Law. His primary practice is in oil and gas law, including title examination, transactions, and litigation. Mr. Hembree is a Trustee of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and is on the faculty for the RMMLF Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Short Course. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico and has served in various capacities for the American Association of Professional Landmen and the New Mexico Landmen’s Association.  Mr. Hembree received a J.D. from Washington & Lee University School of Law in 2005.  While at Washington & Lee, Mr. Hembree served as an Editor for the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy’s 2005 Symposium Edition and as Chairman of the Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series.  He graduated with Honors receiving a B.A. in History with a Minor in Museum Studies from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana in 2000.  Mr. Hembree sits on the boards of directors for a number of civic organizations, including the Eastern New Mexico State Fair.

DRAKE D. HILL is the Founder of the Hill Law Firm in Cheyenne. After graduating from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 1988, Drake served as in-house counsel for the Coastal Corporation and ANR Pipeline Company in Detroit, defending "take-or-pay" claims by natural gas producers. After five years with Coastal, he joined a tax and business firm in Southfield, Michigan and worked as a trial lawyer in complex commercial litigation. In 1996, Drake returned to Wyoming and joined the Wyoming Attorney General's Office and acted as Counsel to the Department of Environmental Quality. In addition to his representation of the Department of Environmental Quality, Drake later served as chief tax counsel and was the supervising attorney for the Departments of Revenue and Audit and the Banking Commission. While attending the University of Wyoming College of Law, Drake served as an editor on the Land and Water Law Review and was the recipient of the American Jurisprudence Book Award for Federal Courts. Drake represented five of the western states in Amoco v. Southern Ute before the United States Supreme Court, deciding ownership of coalbed natural gas. He has been involved many ground-breaking cases in the area of oil and gas in Wyoming, regionally, and nationally. He is also a frequent speaker on a variety of practice areas and is active in civic affairs. Drake's practice is concentrated in oil and gas, oil and gas litigation, environmental law, mineral and property taxation, employment, and complex business litigation.

JAMIE L. JOST is the Founder and Managing Shareholder of Jost Energy Law, P.C. She focuses her practice on matters relating to exploration, development, and production of oil and gas, as well as local, state, and federal regulatory issues, in the Rocky Mountain region. She assists national and international clients with legislative and policy strategy planning, title, due diligence, acquisition and divestiture matters, land contracts, and eminent domain matters. Jamie represents clients in front of the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission and the Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, as well as federal and state courts on various energy issues. With the exception of her role as Corporate Legal Counsel at Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc., Jamie has represented the oil and gas industry in the private sector for over fifteen years to ensure that exploration, development, and operations continue to progress safely, efficiently, and economically. Jamie has served COGA since 2010 and was COGA’s Counsel from 2013 to 2016. She is a past trustee and frequent author for the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation. She is licensed in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. She received her J.D. from the University of Wyoming and her undergraduate degree, cum laude, in Environmental Science and Industrial Hygiene from Indiana State University. 

LAURA LINDLEY is an attorney with the Denver law firm of Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, P.C.  For more than 39 years, her practice has focused on oil and gas law and public land issues related to conventional and renewable energy development. After earning her B.S. degree from Louisiana State University and working as an abstractor for a couple years in south Louisiana, Laura came West to earn her law degree from the University of Denver. Laura is a past president of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and continues to participate in a number of Foundation efforts, including serving as a trustee and updating a chapter in the Law of Federal Oil and Gas Leases, as well as writing occasional papers for the Foundation and publications of the American Bar Association.

JUDITH M. MATLOCK is a partner in the Energy Group of the Denver law firm of Davis, Graham & Stubbs LLP. For thirty-five years she has represented companies in the oil and gas industry.  Her practice has emphasized the post-production side of the business. She is involved in all aspects of the gathering, transportation, processing, fractionation, and marketing of natural gas, liquids, and crude oil and representing producers in connection with the calculation, payment, and reporting of royalties and production taxes. Her practice also includes public utility law involving both gas and electric utilities.  She received her undergraduate degree (B.A. 1979) from the University of Colorado at Denver and her law degree (J.D. 1982) from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Order of the Coif, and the Denver, Colorado, and American Bar Associations. She has been named in The Best Lawyers in America® (oil and gas) since 1995. She is an active participant in the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and has served on the Executive Committee, as a trustee, and co-chair of the Special Institutes Committee. She has also been the program chair for several RMMLF special institutes and short courses, was the program chair for the 2010 Annual Institute, and is a frequent lecturer and writer on energy topics.  She teaches the oil and gas marketing section of the Foundation’s Oil and Gas Law Short Courses. She is a frequent lecturer and writer on energy topics including two annual institute papers and over a dozen special institute papers for the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, and numerous other papers for various oil and gas associations.

LORI A. MCMULLEN is a Partner in the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Department of Crowley Fleck PLLP. Although Lori has a broad practice in natural resources, real property and secured transactions, she specializes in oil and gas with a primary emphasis on title examination, acquisitions and divestitures, and title curative matters. After graduating from the University of Wyoming College of Law, Lori served as a staff attorney in the Wyoming Legislative Service Office in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for two years before entering private practice at Lonabaugh and Riggs, LLP. Lori was a partner at Lonabaugh and Riggs, LLP, before joining Crowley Fleck PLLP in January of 2012. Lori practices law in Wyoming and North Dakota and is a member of the Wyoming Association of Professional Landman, American Bar Association, American Association of Professional Landman, in addition to serving as the current chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Section of the Wyoming State Bar.

JAMES L. MOWRY is a Partner at Crowley Fleck PLLP in Sheridan, Wyoming. His practice focuses primarily on representing the oil and gas and energy industries, including regulatory matters, due diligence, acquisitions and divestitures and drafting title opinions. He regularly represents clients in litigation matters in state and federal courts, and before state administrative agencies including the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Wyoming Public Service Commission, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and the North Dakota Industrial Commission. He also enjoys assisting clients with real estate and commercial transactions. Jim graduated in 2005 from the University of Wyoming, College of Law, and is admitted to practice in Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, Nebraska and the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Court. Jim is a member of Wyoming Association of Professional Landmen, Land Association of North Dakota, Energy Bar Association and RMMLF.

GREG NIBERT is a native of Roswell, New Mexico. He and his wife, Carolyn, have two sons, Gregory, an oil and gas lawyer in Denver, and Jeff, a farmer in Roswell.  He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Mexico in 1980 and received a Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Pepperdine University in 1983.  He was Editor in Chief of the Pepperdine Law Review for 1982-83.  He is a partner in Hinkle Shanor LLP and his practice is focused on Oil and Gas Law.  He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1993, Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business since 2005.  He was selected as the Natural Resource Lawyer of the Year in 2015 by the New Mexico Bar Section on Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law.  In 2016, Mr. Nibert was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives, District 59 (Chaves and Lincoln Counties) where he continues to serve. He represents New Mexico on the Executive Board of the Energy Council.  The Rural Water Users Association selected Greg as the Legislator of the Year for 2018 and he received an award from the Association of Commerce and Industry for work on legislation promoting economic development in the State.  Greg was one of two New Mexico legislators invited to attend the Fourth China United States Governor’s Conference in the People’s Republic of China in 2018 to promote New Mexico business in China. Greg is a past president of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico and continues to serve on its Board of Directors.  He was the Treasurer (2013-15) and a member of the Board of Directors (2011-15) of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.  He previously served as a Chaves County Commissioner from 2007 through 2014.  While Chairman of the Commission he successfully fought the US Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent the listing of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard and the Lesser Prairie Chicken.   He has presented numerous papers and speeches to a number of organizations on oil and gas law topics, including the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, American Association of Professional Landmen, University of Texas, and Center for International and American Law Energy Law Institute.

TJ ORAM is a founding member of Oram & Houghton, PLLC, and he leads a group of twenty attorneys who draft title opinions in Montana, Utah, North Dakota, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. He has experience drafting and supervising the drafting of numerous drilling and division order title opinions on federal, fee, state, and Native American lands. Prior to forming Oram & Houghton, TJ was the Rockies Case Manager and District Coordinator for a Texas based law firm, where TJ personally supervised and managed a large group of attorneys who drafted title opinions for and provided other drilling and division order advice to many oil and gas operators in the Rocky Mountain Region. Before joining that firm, TJ was trained by many of the finest and most well respected natural resource law and business law attorneys in Montana and North Dakota at Crowley Fleck, PLLC in Billings, Montana. TJ also has experience with oil and gas transactions, administrative and regulatory matters, oil and gas commissions, condemnation actions, health care law, large real estate transactions, probates and estates, commercial litigation, entity formation, and other commercial legal matters. TJ graduated Cum Laude with a J.D. from the University of Idaho and an M.B.A. from Washington State University. He is a member of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, the Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen, the Montana Petroleum Association, and has spoken at a number of events on oil and gas title issues and Native American law. He is currently admitted to practice in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Utah.

URIAH PRICE is a partner in Crowley Fleck’s Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Department in Bozeman, Montana. Uriah is licensed in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming and his practice encompasses multiple areas of energy and natural resources law. Uriah represents clients in front of the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Additionally, he handles oil and gas related litigation, title examination, due diligence and Indian law matters. Uriah is a former Trustee of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and currently serves on the Foundation’s Special Institutes Committee and as faculty for the Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Short Course. Uriah obtained his Juris Doctorate, with honors, from Washburn University School of Law where he focused on oil, gas and natural resources law. Prior to law school, he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas.

BONNIE ROBSON is an oil and gas attorney with more than twenty years’ experience, currently serving the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) as Program Manager of Appeals & Regulations. Previously, Bonnie served as the Supervisor of ONRR's Royalty Appeals Program; a Program Analyst, Regulatory Specialist, and acting Chief of Staff for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and its predecessor; a partner in private practice litigating accounting malpractice and oil and gas royalty and tax issues; the principal drafter of 2010 royalty regulations implementing the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act; an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Alaska on oil and gas lease, unit, royalty, tax, and pipeline matters; the Deputy Director and Petroleum Investments Manager of Alaska’s Division of Oil & Gas; and lead outside counsel to the Alaska State Legislature on oil and gas matters, including royalties on 4.5 bcfd of anticipated natural gas production. Bonnie has been a guest lecturer at some of the nation’s top law schools, including Columbia, NYU, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, Duke, and University of California at Berkeley. Also, she served as a moot court judge for national competitions at Harvard. Bonnie's undergraduate honors included a four year honors scholarship, summa cum laude, phi beta kappa, and her selection as the top economics graduate. Bonnie is admitted to practice law in Alaska, California, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

KATIE SCHRODER is a partner at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP in Denver, where her practice focuses on all aspects of energy development on federal lands. Ms. Schroder counsels clients on oil and gas leasing and development on federal lands and agency compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. She has extensive experience with the Endangered Species Act and advises on federal royalty issues.  Ms. Schroder regularly represents oil and gas operators in administrative appeals before the Bureau of Land Management, Office of Natural Resources Revenue, and Interior Board of Land Appeals.  She has defended and challenged agency decisions and rulemakings in federal courts across the country. Ms. Schroder is active with the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation and recently chaired its 65th Annual Institute.  Previously, she has served as a trustee to this organization, chaired its Publications Committee, and authored several papers. She sits on the board of directors of Western Energy Alliance and is a former chair of the Public Land and Resources Committee within the ABA’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. Ms. Schroder began her career as an attorney-advisor in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of the Solicitor as part of the Solicitor’s Honors Program. She then spent 10 years with a boutique law firm in Denver. She holds a B.A. from Rice University and a J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law. After law school, she clerked for Justice Alex J. Martinez of the Colorado Supreme Court.

SARAH SORUM is a shareholder with the Denver law firm of Welborn Sullivan Meck & Tooley, P.C. She handles a variety of transactional and operational matters and counsels industry clients on the leasing of state and federal property as well as applicable land use regulation and compliance issues. She has authored stand-up and sit-down title opinions covering fee, state, and federal minerals, and has also handled numerous acquisition title due diligence projects in the Rocky Mountain region. Sarah is licensed in Colorado, Wyoming, and North Dakota, and has represented clients before the Interior Board of Land Appeals and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and the University of Colorado School of Law.

NICK A. SWARTZENDRUBER is an attorney with Poulson, Odell & Peterson, LLC in Denver. He practices primarily in the area of commercial litigation, including natural resource litigation. Nick also assists clients in regulatory matters before state and federal agencies, including the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and various agencies within the United States Department of the Interior. Nick received his J.D. in 2004 from the University of Wyoming College of Law. While in law school, he served on the editorial board of the Wyoming Law Review and was honored by several organizations for academic achievement and excellence in advocacy. He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Colorado and Wyoming, all state courts in North Dakota, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits and the United States Supreme Court.

EZEKIEL J. WILLIAMS is a partner with Lewis, Bess, Williams & Weese P.C. in Denver, Colorado and Adjunct Professor of Administrative Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He specializes in oil and gas, energy, federal lands, and natural resources law and litigation. Zeke advises oil and gas companies on how to obtain, perfect, develop, and defend federal, fee, state, and Indian oil and gas leases in the Rocky Mountain states. He has litigated and arbitrated disputes involving oil and gas leases, federal exploratory units, title issues, operating agreements, accounting procedures, gas gathering and processing dedications, net profits interests, royalty obligations, produced water processing agreements, and exploration and development agreements. Zeke has extensive counseling and litigation experience with the National Environmental Policy Act, Federal Land Policy Management Act, National Forest Management Act, Mineral Leasing Act, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Clean Water Act, Administrative Procedure Act, and other laws. Zeke advises oil and gas companies, midstream companies, renewable energy developers, ski areas, trade associations, and others on how to participate strategically in the preparation of NEPA documents, federal land use plans, and environmental permits that will govern their future actions. Zeke teaches Administrative Law, Environmental Law, and Natural Resources Law as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver College of Law, is a former Trustee of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, and frequently speaks and writes on energy and natural resources issues. He graduated with honors in 1994 from the University of Denver College of Law where he was the Articles Editor of the Law Review, and has an undergraduate degree from Montana State University. After law school, Zeke worked as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Bobby R. Baldock of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

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