Partner Cheyenne Office 2515 Warren Avenue, Suite 450 Cheyenne, WY 82001-3162 Phone: 307-778-4226 Fax: 307-778-8175 jpalma@hollandhart.com

PRACTICE AREAS

Environmental Legislative Litigation Natural Resources Oil and Gas Public Lands Water Rights Water Quality

Mr. Palma has over 25 years experience in natural resources and environmental law, including extensive work in federal and state public land law, NEPA, Endangered Species Act compliance, environmental regulatory compliance and permitting, oil and gas, minerals, and water. He has worked on the environmental and regulatory permitting associated with several major natural gas processing and pipeline facilities within the State of Wyoming and has been an adviser to oil and gas producers with respect to private, state and federal royalties, taxes, and general oil and gas law issues.

He has been lead counsel for major energy companies with respect to the NEPA, Cultural Resource and Endangered Species Act compliance regarding oil and gas projects in the Bridger Teton National Forest, and other environmentally sensitive public lands in Wyoming, and successfully defended challenges to scores of projects before the Interior Board of Land Appeals and Forest Service. He has also litigated issues in the federal courts, including oil and gas royalties, EPA enforcement actions, NEPA, CERCLA, and Citizen's Suits, and regularly practices before the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Department of Environmental Quality and BLM. Most recently, Mr. Palma has been lead counsel for the largest rail construction project in the U.S. in the last 100 years.

Mr. Palma served on Holland & Hart's five-member Management Committee. Before joining the firm, he served as Natural Resources Deputy Attorney General for the Wyoming Attorney General's office with primary responsibility in legislative matters, trial and appellate litigation, and policy-making in the areas of natural resources and water law, handled the adjudication of federal, Indian, and private water rights in the Big Horn River, Wyoming, and represented the State of Wyoming in a challenge by the Environmental Defense Fund to salinity control measures proposed for the Colorado River system.

Mr. Palma is listed in Best Lawyers in America, International Who's Who of Mining Lawyers,  Who's Who in America , Chambers USA and Finalist 2007, Law Dragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America.

PUBLICATIONS

Mr. Palma has written numerous articles and papers on natural resources, public lands, and environmental issues, water rights and water quality issues, including Indian water rights.

Mr. Palma has also written a chapter in the Natural Resources Law Manual of the ABA entitled, “Land Exchanges with the Federal Government,” and for several years, he has authored the Wyoming Oil and Gas Section of the ABA’s Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Year in Review.

Mr. Palma’s speeches and presentations include topics such as:

“The Largest of NEPA on the Oil & Gas Industry,” BLM/Petroleum Association of Wyoming Workshops

“Global Warming - The Implications of the Kyoto Treaty on the Natural Resource Sector,” at an in-house seminar for firm clients

“Strategies for Faster NEPA Approval of Oil, Gas and Mineral Projects,” at an in-house seminar for firm clients

“Federal Reserved Water Rights,” testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

“Litigating State and Indian Water Rights” before the National Conference on State Legislature’s Task Force

“Public Land Exchanges Strategies” before the 6th Annual Conference on Developments and Trends in Public land and Mining Law of the ABA Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law

“State Royalty Valuation” before the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Special Royalty Valuation Institute

“Administrative Law Practice” before the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Litigation Special Institute

“Environmental Audits” before the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association Annual Meeting

“Municipal Water Rights,” CLE International Water Law Seminar

“Water Export,” CLE International Water Law Seminar

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Member, Environmental, Public Lands and Legal Committees of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming

Member, Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States

Member, Petroleum Association of Wyoming

Member, Natural Resources and Litigation Sections of the American Bar
Association

Member, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation

Member, Wyoming State Bar

Member, Colorado Bar Association

Member, American Bar Association

EDUCATION

University of Denver (J.D., 1974)
  Order of St. Ives
  With Honors

Allegheny College (B.A., 1968)