CEES Event: Rebecca W. Watson - "Coalbed Methane and Water Quality"

		Rebecca W. Watson, Partner, Hogan & Hartson
CEES is Pleased to Host Rebecca W. Watson: On October 20 at Noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Faculty Colloquium Room, CEES is pleased to host a presentation by Rebecca W. Watson on "Coalbed Methane and Water Quality." Rebecca is a partner at Hogan & Hartson where she specializes in natural resource law and policy. Prior to joining Hogan & Hartson she served as the Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI) for Lands and Minerals Management during the president's first term. A more detailed biographical sketch of Rebecca is available below. Brief Bio: Rebecca Watson has more than 20 years of legal and policy experience in the fields of natural resources, federal environmental law, energy, and recreation. She focuses her practice on natural resource law and policy and emphasizes public land and federal environmental issues and government relations. Rebecca also represents clients on land and energy development projects.
Prior to joining Hogan & Hartson, Rebecca served as the assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior(DOI) for Lands and Minerals Management during the president's first term. She provided policy guidance to three bureaus—the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Minerals Management Service (MMS), and the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), which together have the responsibility for management of public energy resources including coal, oil and gas, wind, geothermal, and biomass. She also implemented the president's multiple use management policies for mining, recreation, forestry, and wildlife on over 261 million acres in the West.  Prior to her position at DOI, Rebecca was managing partner at a Montana law firm where she represented clients on regulatory, legislative, mining, and land initiatives. Before that, she was counsel at a Washington, D.C.-based law firm where she advised clients in the mining and timber industries. Rebecca was an assistant general counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) where she managed the development of domestic and international legal policy surrounding the production and use of energy. She began her legal career in Wyoming as a federal district law clerk and a partner in a Sheridan law firm. Rebecca has testified before Congress and spoken on energy and natural resource issues to diverse groups, including: Western Governors' Association; Council of Energy Resource Tribes; Independent Petroleum Association of America; Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation; National Mining Association; Geothermal Energy Association; Boone and Crockett Club; National Oceans Industries Association; National Hispanic Sustainable Energy and Environmental Conference; National Association of Counties; Colorado Oil and Gas Association; North American Wildlife Conference; and World Renewables Conference.