On September 19, 2019, firm partner Bob Randall was selected for membership on the National Parks Overflights Advisory Group (NPOAG).
Congress created the NPOAG in 2000 via the National Parks Air Tour Management Act. The NPOAG provides advice on commercial air tour operations over and near national parks; quiet aircraft technology; measures to accommodate the interests of Parks visitors; and balancing national park needs and airspace needs to ensure the missions of both the National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are met in the most protective, efficient, and safe manner possible. The NPOAG is co-chaired by representatives of the FAA and the NPS and comprised of representatives of general aviation, commercial air tour operations, environmental concerns, and Native American tribes.
Because the NPOAG frequently addresses matters important to air tour operators, Bob’s appointment will reinforce our ability to keep airport sponsors apprised of current events and new developments. This includes technological or legal developments, route planning and reporting, noise modeling, and Air Tour Management Plans.
Bob was appointed to fill a vacancy on the NPOAG representing environmental concerns. Bob has more than 20 years of experience in natural resources law and policy and is a member of the National Parks Conservation Association, Wilderness Workshop, River Management Society, and other environmental and conservation organizations.
Bob joined Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP in January 2019 after serving as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) since 2016, where he oversaw a $400 million budget, 2,500 full- and part-time employees, and a portfolio that included stewardship of Colorado’s land, oil and gas, mineral, water, and wildlife resources. Prior to joining DNR in 2007, Bob spent more than a decade as an attorney for public interest law and policy organizations, litigating and advocating for land and resource protection in the West.
