Federal public lands and minerals owned by the United States make up about 26% or 640 million acres of the 2.43 billion-acre U.S. land mass. Our attorneys are recognized national experts in federal public lands law and litigation. Firm lawyers advise clients nationwide on the acquisition, leasing, regulation, permitting, development, and defense of private interests in federal public lands. The Firm provides expert counsel on federal land management and regulation by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and others.
We provide federal lands counsel to public energy companies, ski areas and resorts, oil and gas development and midstream companies, trade associations, pipelines, solar and renewable energy developers, investors, lenders, private equity firms, entrepreneurs, and law firms.
Our lawyers have substantial experience with:
- Federal land use planning (BLM resource management plans, Forest plans, Fish & Wildlife Service comprehensive conservation plans)
- Energy and mineral development on federal public lands
- Federal oil and gas leasing and development
- Development of split estate federal minerals under private surface
- Forest Service ski area special use permits
- Forest Service special use permits
- BLM special recreation permits
- Project development on BLM, Forest Service, and other federal lands
- Wind, solar, and renewable energy development on federal lands
- BLM and Forest Service rights-of-way
- Acquisition and due diligence of leases, permits, and other private interests in federal public lands
- Regulation of privately-owned water rights on federal lands
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) counseling, review, and litigation
- National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) counseling, review, and litigation
- Endangered Species Act Section 7 consultation process and litigation
- Federal lands litigation against or in defense of the BLM, Forest Service, and other agencies
- Federal lands administrative appeals and litigation
- Federal lands rulemakings
