David Neslin

David Neslin assists clients with energy and environmental matters, including policy issues involving federal, state, and local regulation, administrative proceedings before government agencies, and legal disputes arising under various resource and environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Act.

Prior to joining Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, Mr. Neslin led the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) for four years, where he oversaw record levels of oil and gas permitting, development, and production. Under his leadership, the COGCC also completed bellwether rulemakings to tackle emerging regulatory issues, including those involving hydraulic fracturing, green completions, and waste management.

Prior to entering government service, Mr. Neslin was a partner in the Denver office of Arnold & Porter LLP, where his practice centered around permitting and litigation on behalf of major development projects facing complex regulatory requirements and extensive public opposition. While at Arnold & Porter LLP, he had extensive dealings in the recreation industry, including the representation of Vail Resorts in securing federal, state, and local approvals for the largest ski area expansion in Colorado history.

While with the State of Colorado, Mr. Neslin served as chair of the State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations, which conducts peer reviews of state environmental programs, and as Colorado’s representative to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which provides leadership on domestic oil and gas issues. He also assisted the Ground Water Protection Council in developing and promoting the hydraulic fracturing website www.FracFocus.org.

Mr. Neslin has worked with federal and state legislators, regulators, industry representatives, environmental groups, and other stakeholders to encourage the responsible regulation of energy development, and he frequently writes and speaks on the subject. Mr. Neslin has been listed in the Denver Business Journal’s Who's Who in Energy from 2013 to 2019. He has also been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the fields of Energy Law and Natural Resources Law and has earned the AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating™ from Martindale-AVVO®.