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Courtney M. Shephard

Courtney Shephard guides energy companies through complex regulatory landscapes in the Rocky Mountain West. Her experience spans conventional and low-carbon energy production, with a focus on federal regulatory compliance, permitting strategies, and resolving enforcement matters.

At the core of Courtney’s work is her comprehensive approach to environmental compliance. She adeptly maneuvers through complex federal mandates—including NEPA, Clean Air Act, and Endangered Species Act requirements—and handles federal administrative appeals. Her experience includes crafting site-specific development strategies for localized development challenges that with the goal of achieving both environmental protection and development objectives.

Leveraging her background in climate policy analysis, carbon market dynamics, and emissions accounting, Courtney collaborates with clients to develop comprehensive carbon management strategies. Her practice includes methane and CO2 reduction strategies, Class VI storage permitting, and pore space acquisitions. She also represents clients in rulemaking and permitting proceedings before the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission.

Access to adequate water supplies is a common project development challenge in the arid western United States. Courtney has more than a decade of experience working with private and municipal clients to appropriate, buy/sell, change, and protect water rights through private transactions and Colorado water court proceedings.

Courtney’s strategic vision and comprehensive understanding of regulatory frameworks have been instrumental in advancing numerous energy and infrastructure projects throughout the region. Her ability to synthesize complex regulatory requirements with practical business needs make her an asset to clients navigating the ever-changing energy landscape.

On Sept. 5, 2025, the D.C. Circuit reversed EPA’s 2023 rule rescinding the “startup, shutdown and malfunction” (SSM) affirmative defense under the Title V permitting program. The decision carries implications for Title V programs nationwide and for stationary source regulations more broadly.
Continue Reading DC Circuit Reinstates Title V Emergency Affirmative Defense

On Sept. 4, 2025, EPA released its Semiannual Regulatory Agenda, signaling that the Agency is expected to continue to focus its deregulatory efforts on rules and regulations under the CAA in furtherance of this administration’s policy to increase domestic energy production and supply by easing rules on producers

Continue Reading Recent Federal Developments May Undercut the Clean Air Act

On Aug. 1, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a major climate policy shift by proposing to rescind its 2009 Endangerment Finding, which has been the basis of many regulatory efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both mobile and stationary sources.
Continue Reading A Turning Point for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulation: EPA Seeks to Repeal its Endangerment Finding

Data center developers often struggle with lengthy and costly regulatory hurdles at both state and federal levels. In a move to simplify this process, the Trump administration has issued an executive order and introduced the “America’s AI Action Plan,” both designed to accelerate federal permitting and reshape environmental review frameworks for new data centers and supporting infrastructure.

Continue Reading Trump Administration Seeks to Streamline Federal Permitting for Data Centers with New Executive Order and Action Plan

On June 11, 2025, EPA issued a proposed rule that repeals carbon pollution standards for new and reconstructed gas turbines and existing and modified coal and oil/gas-fired units.

Continue Reading EPA Proposes Rescission of Power Plant GHG Standards Under Clean Air Act Section 111

In an 8-0 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a D.C. Circuit ruling that had blocked construction of a new 88-mile freight railroad line, clarifying the scope of impacts that federal agencies must consider under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Continue Reading Landmark Supreme Court Decision Limits NEPA Review Scope: Agencies Granted ‘Substantial Deference’ in Environmental Assessments

On April 23, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced plans to implement unprecedented emergency procedures to fast-track permitting for energy and critical minerals projects on federal lands. 
Continue Reading Department of the Interior to Adopt Expedited NEPA Permitting Procedures for Energy and Minerals Projects on Federal Lands