People

Robert W. Randall

Managing Partner

Denver Office
303.825.7000

Education

J.D., Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College, 1996
B.J., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1992
B.A., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1992

Bar and Court Admissions

Colorado
United States District Court for the District of Alaska
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Robert W. Randall

Bob Randall has more than 20 years of experience representing and counseling citizens, communities, and advocacy groups on land management and energy development issues in state and federal court litigation, before administrative agencies, and with elected officials.

Bob's career has been at the intersection of public policy and conservation, first as a public interest advocate for resource protection and then as a public servant working towards resource stewardship.  He has negotiated interagency agreements with federal agencies; prosecuted federal and state court litigation on behalf of conservation organizations; managed drafting, implementation, and legislative approval of state energy regulations; secured $36 million to implement Colorado's first-ever Water Plan; managed communications and policy responses to crisis situations; and helped achieve protection of iconic landscapes like the Thompson Divide and the Roan Plateau.

Bob previously served as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from 2016 to 2019, overseeing a $400 million budget, 2,500 full- and part-time employees, and a portfolio that included all of Colorado's oil and gas, water, wildlife, state trust lands, and state parks.  Before that, Bob served as DNR's Deputy Director from 2010 to 2016, as Assistant Director for Energy and Minerals from 2009 to 2010 and, prior to that, as Federal Lands Coordinator.

Prior to joining the Department of Natural Resources, Bob was a staff attorney for Western Resource Advocates, a Colorado-based law and policy organization.  Before moving to Colorado, Bob spent seven years as a staff attorney for Trustees for Alaska, a public interest environmental law firm in Anchorage, Alaska.

Bob's work in all these posts has focused on natural resources, particularly regarding energy and mineral development, public lands management, water, wildlife, and outdoor recreation.

Representative Experience

Colorado Roadless Rule
Shepherded U.S. Department of Agriculture's adoption of final federal rule protecting 4.2 million acres of roadless National Forest lands in Colorado, including 1.2 million acres of Upper Tier that enjoy a higher level of conservation of roadless area characteristics.  See 36 C.F.R. Part 294 Subpart D "Colorado Roadless Area Management"

Denali National Park and Preserve
Represented conservation organizations in challenge to National Park Service decision to allow snowmobile use in Wilderness Areas of Denali National Park & Preserve for activities not occurring when Wilderness Areas were designated; work included drafting comments on proposed rule, testifying at public hearings, meeting with Park Service personnel at Denali and NPS Alaska Regional Office, and prosecuting litigation challenging the final rule

Colorado the Beautiful Initiative
Oversaw implementation of Governor Hickenlooper's Colorado the Beautiful Initiative, with a goal that within one generation, every Coloradan lives within 10 minutes of a park, trail, or vibrant open space; worked to secure $2.5 million annually for construction of nonmotorized trails in Colorado and $6 million for a new Colorado the Beautiful Trails Grant Program

Gold King Mine Release, La Plata and San Juan Counties, Colorado
Managed state policy and communications response to EPA release of mine waste water from the Gold King Mine—an abandoned mine near Silverton, Colorado

Oversight of Oil and Gas Operations
Drafted new and amended rules of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission's (COGCC) 2008 overhaul of state regulations for oil and gas development (rule changes introduced public comment to the permitting process, addressed potential impacts to wildlife resources and human health, and updated requirements related to waste management, hydraulic fracturing, and reclamation); oversaw adoption of new Colorado rules related to heightened penalties for violations of COGCC's rules, oversight of flowlines, and expanded setbacks around school properties

Interagency Cooperation on Outdoor Recreation
Convened and chaired cabinet-level working group on outdoor recreation issues in Colorado, including trail planning and construction, transportation planning, and health equity, culminating in Colorado Executive Order B 2018-010, creating Interagency Trails Council, and promoting conservation and outdoor recreation

Legislative Testimony
Myriad appearances before committees of the Colorado General Assembly, including testimony at oversight hearings, testimony on legislation, and testimony at budget hearings

Professional and Civic Activities / Awards

News & Publications

Presentations

Relationship Between People and the Outdoors
Opening Remarks for Executive Order B 2018-10
10.26.18
Keynote Speaker
Trout Unlimited Collegiate Peaks Chapter Annual Meeting
09.13.18
Hunting in the Context of Outdoor Recreation Economy
Welcoming Remarks at Cameo Shooting and Education Complex
August 2018
View All Presentations

Publications

Co-Author
Natural Resources Defense Council, Western Resource Advocates, and Pembina Institute
June 2007
Alaska National Interests Land Conservation Act: Citizens Guide
Co-Author and Contributor
The Wilderness Society
2001
Under the Influence: Oil and the Industrialization of America’s Arctic
Contributor
Trustees for Alaska
1998

Education

J.D., Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College, 1996
B.J., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1992
B.A., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1992

Bar and Court Admissions

Colorado
United States District Court for the District of Alaska
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit