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James Lochhead is a Shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Based in the firm’s Aspen office, Mr. Lochhead works with the Natural Resources, Litigation and Real Estate groups on matters relating to water rights, interstate and international water matters, Endangered Species Act, public lands and natural resources, state and federal public policy, zoning, land use and real estate development. Mr. Lochhead has represented hydroelectric utilities, developers, ski areas, municipalities, states and special districts in all types of water supply planning, water court matters and litigation, including water rights planning, plans for augmentation, exchanges and substitute supply plans. He has negotiated interstate, basin-wide endangered species recovery programs for the Platte and Colorado River Basins. He has testified before Congressional and state legislative committees, drafted federal and state legislation, and has been qualified as an expert witness in state, federal and U.S. Supreme Court cases. Outside of his extensive water-related work in the western United States, Mr. Lochhead led a team of attorneys in preparing a report to the governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin on the governance of the withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes. His work in that area led to federal legislation and negotiations on an interstate compact and international agreement for the management of Great Lakes water resources. Mr. Lochhead’s work in zoning, land use and real estate development includes representation of developers, municipalities and special districts on annexation, zoning entitlement, subdivision, and utility extension matters. He has significant experience with residential and golf course zoning entitlement and development projects. Mr. Lochhead is the former executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, where he directed a department of 2,000 employees with an annual budget of $110 million. He oversaw departments that included the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Minerals and Geology, Water Resources, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Parks and Outdoor Recreation, Soil Conservation Board, State Land Board and Wildlife. | 