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Adam Rankin

Associate

110 North Guadalupe, Suite 1, Santa Fe, NM 87501
P 505.954.7294
OVERVIEW

Adam Rankin provides counsel to the energy industry on environmental and natural resources compliance, permitting, administrative appeals, and complex litigation.

Adam has extensive experience navigating New Mexico’s complex water rights issues and Indian water rights settlements.  

Oil and Gas: Adam guides oil and gas clients through state and federal administrative and regulatory matters relating to all aspects of exploration, drilling, and development, including acid gas disposal, surface waste management facilities, and air quality permitting. 

Litigation: He focuses on environmental litigation, including water rights adjudication and permitting, and class action claims for underpayment of oil and gas royalty in federal and state courts. 

Natural Resources: Adam regularly appears before the Interior Board of Land Appeals, challenging Bureau of Land Management orders and Office of Natural Resources Revenue assessments for underpayment of federal royalty. 

Prior to joining Holland & Hart, Adam clerked for Justice Edward Chávez of the New Mexico Supreme Court. 

EXPERIENCE

Experience

  • Complex electronic discovery and document production 
  • Expert and fact witness preparation for trials, depositions, and state and federal royalty audits 
  • Brief and argue complex commercial, environmental, and natural resources issues in federal and state courts and administrative agencies 
  • Water rights litigation, permitting, and administrative hearings 
  • Oil and gas environmental and regulatory permits and compliance issues, including emissions and air quality issues and spill reporting and compliance 
CLIENT RESULTS

Client Results

  • Guides major oil and gas exploration and production companies through all aspects of water development and management issues, including water rights applications and administrative protests, deep brackish water development, produced water re-use and recycling, acquisition and leasing of water rights, and water transportation. 

  • Reversed a BLM decision on appeal before the Interior Board of Land Appeals. 

  • Defended a major oil and gas gathering company against environmental contamination claims to a favorable settlement. 

  • Defended major gasoline retail marketer against the State of New Mexico against allegations of false claims relating to legacy environmental contamination from leaky underground storage tanks. 

  • Represents major oil and gas producers in class action royalty underpayment cases relating to production of natural gas and carbon dioxide in state and federal courts. 

  • Represents oil and gas clients before the New Mexico Oil and Gas Division/Commission, State Land Office, and Bureau of Land Management in all administrative and regulatory matters, including operator and working interest disputes, acid gas disposal, carbon dioxide injection and pressure maintenance projects, unit development and approval, horizontal drilling, and surface waste management facility permitting and compliance issues. 

  • Represents major oil and gas producers challenging state and federal royalty underpayment assessments.

PRACTICES

Practices

Environmental and Natural Resources Litigation
Water Law
Environmental and Natural Resources
Oil and Gas
Workplace Safety and Emergency Response
NEWS AND INSIGHTS

News

EDUCATION AND ADMISSIONS

Education

University of New Mexico
J.D., 2009
  • magna cum laude
  • Order of the Coif
  • Co-Editor-in-Chief, Natural Resources Journal (2008-2009)
  • Natural Resources Law Certificate
  • Albert F. Utton Natural Resources Law Award
  • Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Joe Rudd Scholar (2008- 2009)
Columbia University
M.S., 2001
  • Journalism
Columbia University
M.A., 2001
  • Earth Science
Amherst College
B.A., 1996
  • magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

New Mexico

Court Admissions

Federal District Court of New Mexico
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
RECOGNITION

Recognition

  • Chambers USA: American’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Associates to Watch, Environment, Natural Resources, & Regulated Industries, 2015 - 2017
  • Southwest Super Lawyers® Rising Stars, Energy & Natural Resources, 2018-2019 
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC AFFILIATIONS

Professional and Civic Affiliations

  • State Bar of New Mexico, Member 
  • New Mexico Defense Lawyers Association, Member 
  • New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, Member 
  • American Bar Association, Member 
  • First Judicial District Access to Justice Committee, Member, 2011-Present  
  • New Mexico Access to Justice Commission, Commissioner, 2012-Present
DISCLAIMER

Unless you are a current client of Holland & Hart LLP, please do not send any confidential information by email. If you are not a current client and send an email to an individual at Holland & Hart LLP, you acknowledge that we have no obligation to maintain the confidentiality of any information you submit to us, unless we have already agreed to represent you or we later agree to do so. Thus, we may represent a party adverse to you, even if the information you submit to us could be used against you in a matter, and even if you submitted it in a good faith effort to retain us.

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