Robert W. Randall
Alternate image for Robert W. Randall

Robert W. Randall

Managing Partner

Denver
303.825.7000C 303.319.6832

I have 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

Resources and News

News

Presentations

Publications