Andrew Emrich

• Assisted coal, trona, gold, and rare earth mining companies, as well as a variety of oil and gas exploration and production and midstream companies, in successfully navigating federal and state permitting processes.
• Represented variety of oil and gas, coal, trona, geothermal, and hard rock mining companies in numerous federal administrative appeals to the Interior Board of Land Appeals, the Interior Board of Indian Appeals, the U.S. Forest Service, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Appeals Board.

Mining

• Represented coal producers in federal administrative appeals, and subsequent federal court litigation, involving challenges to federal agencies’ leasing and environmental decisions.
• Successfully represented gold mining company in administrative challenge to federal agency’s cancellation of mining claims.
• Represented gold mining company in national challenge to EPA’s overhaul of Clean Air Act regulations for electricity sector.
• Successfully represented coal producers against challenge by environmental groups to a state’s federally-approved coal regulatory program.
• Represented mining company in appeal of royalty assessment for operations on Indian lands.
• Represented coal producers in federal administrative appeals, and subsequent federal court litigation, involving challenges to federal agencies’ leasing and environmental approvals.
• Represented coal producers in challenge brought by environmental groups to a state’s federally-approved coal regulatory program.
• Represented trona producer in challenge to rejection of federal lease extension.

Oil and Gas

• Successfully represented midstream oil and gas company in federal court litigation and administrative appeals against attempt by Indian Tribe to prevent company from constructing oil and gas pipelines across federal property. Successfully represented variety of oil and gas producers in federal court litigation involving the sufficiency of BLM's leasing approvals.
• Successfully represented oil and gas exploration company in administrative appeal challenging federal agency’s decision to rescind federal leases.
• Successfully represented oil and gas exploration companies in federal court challenges by non-governmental organizations to federal agencies' leasing decisions.
• Represented national oil and gas association in case challenging BLM’s delay in issuing federal mineral leases. Represented oil and gas producers in federal court litigation involving the sufficiency of BLM’s leasing approvals.
• Represented oil shale company in challenge by environmental organizations to BLM’s oil shale regulatory program.

Renewable Energy Industry

• Successfully represented geothermal producer in challenge to federal agency’s efforts to contract company’s lease acreage and impose burdensome operating restrictions.
• Successfully defended geothermal producer against challenge by environmental groups trying to rescind federal operating approvals and environmental analysis.

Prior to joining Holland & Hart,

• Andrew served as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. At the Department, he helped manage a litigating division of more than 400 lawyers and a docket of more than 8,000 active cases. Andrew assisted in the development and implementation of significant environmental, energy, natural resources, and Native American legal positions taken by the United States in courts throughout the country under a wide variety of environmental and public lands statutes, including the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Federal Land Policy and Management Act, Mineral Leasing Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
• As a senior attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division, Andrew regularly coordinated with senior political and career officials at the Department's client agencies, including the Departments of Interior, Energy, Defense, Agriculture, Commerce and the Environmental Protection Agency, on significant environmental and energy cases and regulatory initiatives. He also served as lead counsel in several high-profile cases in which he briefed and argued cases before a number of federal district and appellate courts.
• Prior to his service at the Department of Justice, Andrew served as Legislative Counsel and chief legal advisor to U.S. Senator Michael Enzi of Wyoming. As Legislative Counsel to Senator Enzi, Andrew worked on a variety of federal energy, environmental, Native American, and land management legislative efforts and policy initiatives.