Culp & Kelly, LLP is a mission-driven law and policy firm that is focused on addressing the critical issues regarding water, environmental, and natural resource management in the American West.
We combine legal expertise, managerial experience, technical understanding, and a deep grounding in policy to represent and work with non-governmental organizations, foundations, municipalities, government agencies, industry, agricultural interests, and investors.
Culp & Kelly, LLP, and its subsidiary, CK Blueshift, LLC, operate as a joint enterprise that offers clients a unique integration of legal, policy, and technical solutions for water, environmental, and natural resource management challenges.
Culp & Kelly provides support on the current law, emerging trends, and potential risks involved in securing and using water rights and engaging in water right transactions in the West. We offer extensive expertise in both state and federal laws governing water rights in various western states, as well as the Law of the Colorado River.
We work extensively on western states’ water law and policy. Our attorneys are involved in some of the most cutting-edge water policy work in the nation, ranging from the negotiation of multi-state and international water management agreements in the complex binational Colorado River Basin to the development of leading groundwater management legislation in Arizona and Texas, to the negotiation and adoption of a ground-breaking environmental flow law in Texas. We offer a unique perspective on western water markets, cross-sector collaboration to provide water for people and the environment, and innovative approaches to reduce water-related risks and improve resilience in a changing climate.
Climate change is water change. The combination of increasing temperatures and changed weather patterns is fundamentally changing the movement of water and energy on our planet. Climate change is rapidly impacting the land, water, wildlife, communities, and resources of the western United States, and most climate modeling suggests that in the semi-arid West, the speed and significance of those changes are only likely to increase.
Culp & Kelly assists clients in planning for critical changes and identifying and implementing proactive, cooperative measures that will help our communities, landscapes, and wildlife adapt to the changes that are coming, while doing what we can to mitigate the broader climate crisis.
The West is rife with land and natural resource protection and management challenges, many of which are exacerbated by climate change and population growth. Issues include forest health and fire prevention, the management of ranches and farmlands, energy development (both traditional fossil fuels and renewable energy), special status species, water quality, and land development regulation. Natural resource law and policy are also in flux, as localities, states, and the federal government seek to adapt their systems to a changing world.
We have worked with a variety of public land classifications and public land managers, including the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the various state agencies charged with managing, developing, and preserving state trust lands. Our team also has experience with the development and management of projects on tribal lands, including work with various federally-recognized Indian tribes, aboriginal land claims, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Culp & Kelly offers support in understanding and navigating the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and their companion and complementary state laws, including groundwater quality protection laws and actions related to groundwater remediation. We have a deep understanding of the water quality regulatory environment and offer important insight into the intersection of Western water supply interests, water quality needs, and ecosystem services.
We assist clients in navigating law and policy of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other federal environmental laws, as well as state environmental requirements in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and elsewhere. We can assist our clients with strategic advice, permitting issues, administrative proceedings and litigation, and compliance issues, as well as a variety of policy matters including participation in rulemaking activities, policy development, and providing government relations services.
Culp & Kelly has a successful track record of working with non-governmental organizations, coalitions and philanthropic foundations, and private sector interests to shape law, policy, and public perception. This experience allows us to provide our clients with informed strategy development services on a wide variety of policy matters. Our attorneys have also been deeply involved in several complex, multi-party stakeholder negotiations related to water policy, municipal finance, and public lands issues, as well as with the management of coalitions focused on policy advocacy involving multiple non-governmental organizations.
Culp & Kelly brings decades of experience working with and within a broad range of federal, state and local government agencies, including Congress, the Department of the Interior and its various bureaus, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of State, state departments of environmental quality and public health, state engineers and water resource agencies, state utilities commissions, regional water management agencies, and municipal water providers, irrigation districts, and special taxing districts, among others. We represent clients both in their capacity as stakeholders affected by or seeking to influence various general agency actions, rulemakings, policy discussions, and initiatives, and as applicants, permittees, or respondents in agency permitting, compliance and enforcement actions.
Joan is an environmental and natural resources attorney with more than 25 years of combined private sector, federal, state, local, and non-profit experience. Joan has held several senior executive positions in government agencies and is a solutions-oriented legal counselor and strategic advisor. Joan serves clients primarily in environmental and water quality regulatory matters and in innovative and resilient urban water management and natural infrastructure solutions. Joan is a Fellow in the American College of Environmental Lawyers.
Representative Experience
Peter is a nationally-recognized Western water law and water policy attorney, and has more than 20 years of experience working on a broad range of water law and policy, natural resources law and policy, U.S. environmental law, and federal Indian law matters. He represents a variety of municipalities, water agencies, industrial and energy companies, developers, investment firms, and non-profit organizations and foundations, and is a respected strategic advisor to clients facing the challenges of water and natural resource scarcity in the West.
Representative Experience
Peter is a Fellow in the American College of Environmental Lawyers, and has served on a number of public and non-profit boards and commissions; this includes current service as a member of the board of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Board of Visitors for the University of Arizona College of Law. In connection with his extensive public policy work, Peter has been twice awarded the Partners in Conservation Award from the office of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the Nature Conservancy of Arizona’s Outstanding Conservation Achievement Award, and the Arizona Capitol Times Leader of the Year Award in Public Policy. He received the Michael J. Brophy Distinguished Service Award from the State Bar of Arizona in 2022.
Jennifer supports various public, private and nonprofit clients on natural resources management and water law and policy. Her work focuses on water scarcity issues in the Western United States, sustainable groundwater management, conservation program strategy and finance, and collaborative planning and advocacy around natural resources and water policy. She also has experience in utilities, government, and administrative law, and in social science, environmental science, and environmental education.
Representative Experience
Kathryn is a seasoned professional with a background in Administration and Finance, spanning over two decades. Throughout her career, Kathryn has demonstrated a unique blend of self-reliance, continuous pursuit of knowledge, and a dedication to mentorship, making her an asset in every role she has undertaken.
Kathryn's expertise has supported a variety of industries, and she has made significant contributions to both non-profit organizations and local businesses in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Her work has been instrumental in helping these entities thrive, with her leadership and governance playing a key role in fostering growth and sustainability within their respective communities.
In addition to her financial and administrative acumen, Kathryn retains a foundation in technical support and marketing. This diverse skill set allows her to approach challenges from multiple angles, integrating her knowledge to provide innovative solutions across various domains.
Kathryn’s commitment to excellence and her passion for continuous learning have shaped her career into a dynamic journey, as she strives to empower others and contribute meaningfully to the success of the organizations she works with.
Representative Experience:
With more than three decades of environmental law, policy, and advocacy experience, Mary is a nationally respected environmental lawyer and non-profit program manager. She provides environmental analysis and advocacy services to non-profits, philanthropic foundations, and other organizations. Mary’s areas of expertise include water law and policy, ecosystem restoration law and policy, U.S./Mexico border environmental issues, strategy development, grant writing, strategic fundraising and non-profit management.
Representative Experience
Kelly practices in water, environmental, and natural resources law, helping clients understand and navigate complex challenges surrounding water scarcity, climate change, and sustainable development. She works with a wide range of clients, including municipalities, corporations, investment groups, policy institutes, and non-profit organizations. Her work focuses on water law and policy and its nexus with aridification management and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Representative Experience
Emily has 15 years of experience assisting clients in navigating and solving complex water problems. She regularly advises water right owners, wholesale water providers, municipalities, mining companies, investors, agricultural users, and non-governmental organizations. Her water policy work includes overseeing strategic projects like the Utah Statewide Water Marketing Strategies Project and the Utah Water Law Policy Inventory and Assessment for the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan. Emily’s work focuses on designing and implementing practical solutions that secure client’s water resiliency in the face of challenging and changing conditions.
Representative Experience
Emily hosts a popular weekly podcast, Ripple Effect– A Podcast Putting Water in Context, is the Chair of the Utah Bar Association’s Water Law Committee,and an Adjunct Professor at the SJ Quinney College of Law.
Laura is a nationally recognized expert in Western water law and policy, with experience as an environmental lawyer spanning more than three decades. Her areas of expertise beyond water law include administrative law and permitting, NEPA compliance and review, NGO program development, tribal reserved water rights, and a broad range of public and private land management and restoration experience. Laura’s work includes building and executing strategic campaigns to drive change across legislative, regulatory, and administrative arenas, including work in sustainable groundwater management, recognition and protection of instream water use, water rights transactions, and new funding and authorities for watershed restoration.
Representative Experience
Margot is a strategist, facilitator and executive coach with over a decade of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, public agencies, and foundations. Her areas of expertise include incubating, implementing and managing complex new initiatives, supporting leadership in transition, and facilitating the development of strategic plans among diverse stakeholders. Margot also has extensive experience analyzing natural resources regulations and climate policy.
Representative Experience
Caroline is a Senior Geomorphologist with Rio ASE, LLC, and maintains a role as an inactive Principal at Blueshift, collaborating with the Blueshift and Culp & Kelly teams on ongoing watershed restoration projects and policy matters. She has extensive experience implementing and evaluating process-based watershed restoration throughout the American West. She combines a robust technical and scientific knowledge base with community-engaged practices to develop projects and evaluation frameworks uniquely tailored to local conditions and objectives. Caroline's work includes translating lessons learned from these place-based efforts to provide guidance to foundations and government entities on policy and funding for watershed restoration.
Representative Experience
Elijah is a water resources expert whose work focuses on developing and implementing innovative water conservation programs. His work at CK Blueshift centers on creating partner relationships and strategies for BlueCommons, a first of its kind ‘Blue Bank’ focused on financing a new generation of water efficiency projects. He has worked with municipalities, non-profits and businesses to rapidly create water-saving projects tailored to their goals and operations. He also has experience analyzing the efficacy of water markets and groundwater management organizations in the American West.
Representative Experience
Cam is a broadly trained earth scientist with expertise in hydrology, geomorphology, climate change, and economics. For over a decade, he has supported state and federal agencies, water utilities, and investors with the quantification and monetization of climate change impacts on flood risk, water availability, and ecosystem health. He has also supported state governments, tribes, and NGOs on multiple natural resource damage assessments and environmental impact assessments related to oil spills, industrial activities, and mining. He maintains a research affiliation at the University of Colorado, where he continues grant-funded research on behalf of NSF, NASA, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Prior to joining CK Blueshift, Cam held positions as a Senior Scientist at Lynker Technologies and as a Principal at Abt Associates (formerly Stratus Consulting).
Representative Experience
