Melissa draws from her experience with government agencies to counsel clients on permitting enforcement and compliance issues involving natural resources, with an emphasis on water quality and water rights.
She works with a variety of clients to provide counsel on water quality and environmental compliance issues that may arise during project development, operation, and closure. Melissa also leverages her knowledge of Utah water law and state agencies to guide clients in obtaining and protecting their water rights. This often includes representing clients in hearings before the State Engineer. Melissa’s depth of experience means she is well positioned to represent clients from the water rights application stage through any judicial appeals related thereto.
Prior to joining Holland & Hart, Melissa worked for the Utah Attorney General’s Office: Natural Resources Division, where she acted as counsel to the State Engineer and developed a comprehensive understanding of Utah's water rights statutes. Melissa employs her first-hand knowledge of state statutes to provide excellent legal service to a variety of clients navigating complex water rights issues as they pursue any number of projects, including mine acquisitions, renewable energy development projects, and both small and large scale real estate developments in the west.
Clients navigating challenges associated with complex water rights, water quality, and other environmental compliance and enforcement issues will benefit from Melissa’s in-depth experience.