Public Counsel of the Rockies

In April 2010, Public Counsel of the Rockies achieved a landmark victory in the Colorado Supreme Court, Vance v. Wolf, concerning the use of water in the process of extracting natural gas from coal beds. This ruling held that Colorado water laws will apply to some oil and gas operations in the state; in the past, coal-bed methane operators were exempt from many of the state’s water laws. Public Counsel is a Colorado-based public interest law firm that relies on pro-bono attorneys to advance its work. Since the Supreme Court decision, coal-bed natural gas operators have filed numerous appeals of the Vance decision. This tie-off grant would allow Public Counsel to continue its defense of the Vance decision, which is expected to conclude in 2012.