The National Law Journal (NLJ) has named WilmerHale Partner Ken Salazar an Energy & Environmental Trailblazer, placing him as one of the top 50 business leaders in the energy and environmental space. Mr. Salazar, former US Secretary of the Interior, US Senator for Colorado, State Attorney General and director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, was selected from a pool of several hundred nominations.
Among the “trails blazed" throughout his career, the NLJ highlights Mr. Salazar’s dedication to “water, wildlife, state parks, mining and oil and gas,” his successes at the Interior in implementing “much of the legislation enacted when he was a senator,” and creating “10 new national parks and 10 new wildlife refuges.”
During his time as Secretary of the Interior from 2009–2013, Mr. Salazar led the effort to create the nation’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, which included oil and gas and renewable energy. As a US Senator, he was a leader in creating and implementing the modern energy legal framework for the United States, including the enactment of the 2005 Energy Policy Act, the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Security Act, the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, and the 2007 Farm Bill.
While serving on the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Salazar advocated for the wise stewardship of America’s conservation legacy, led the fight to protect the integrity of the National Park Services, and worked to protect landscapes in Colorado, including legislation that designated Rocky Mountain National Park as wilderness and established the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area.
The NLJ feature stated that Mr. Salazar “foresees that we will constantly be trying to figure out solutions to how we can use our planet in a way that can sustain us for centuries to come.” Further, Mr. Salazar said, “[I]t’s important for the nation to understand our history and learn the lessons from our past.”
Mr. Salazar has received the Colorado Conservation Trust Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chairman’s Award, The Wilderness Society, the Ansel Adams Award and the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Since joining WilmerHale as partner in 2013, Mr. Salazar has provided clients with legal, strategic and policy counsel on energy, natural resources and environmental matters.