Committed to Advocacy
Andrea Gelfuso
Attorney Andrea Gelfuso has practiced environmental and natural resources law for over 20 years, and shares her passion for effective advocacy by teaching Sustainability, Environmental Law, and Natural Resources Law at the undergraduate, Masters, and Masters of Jurisprudence levels.
Andrea represented the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) for 17 years, litigated cases involving energy development on public land, and never lost a public lands case. She also advised DOI agencies on a range of issues including endangered species, hazardous waste, and compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
After a year of traveling in Europe, Andrea specialized in air quality regulation for the State of Colorado Attorney General’s Office, where she negotiated an enforcement action against one of the largest molybdenum mines in the world and rewrote procedural rules for the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission to advance public participation in air quality rulemaking.
More recently, Andrea worked with a team of dedicated attorneys to challenge the expansion of I-70, which threatens the health of sacrificed communities already suffering the disparate impacts of highway emissions. In 2020, Andrea has been working on state and local government advocacy; she collaborated with a pollinator organization to draft legislation to allow local government control over pesticide application, and has been working on reducing GHGs through promoting renewable energy for new commercial, industrial and residential housing, and energy efficiency for existing buildings. To provide a “menu” of options, Andrea analyzed the energy efficiency ordinances of Colorado communities and summarized them in an easy-to-use matrix.
Andrea has also been working on anti-idling campaigns for the City of Lakewood and with the Jefferson County School District.
But Andrea’s greatest satisfaction comes from teaching environmental activists how to effectively advocate on behalf of communities and the environment. Read her student testimonials here.
Mission Statement
To empower activists and local governments to advocate effectively, through an understanding of how to use laws and regulations to protect communities and the environment.
Andrea Gelfuso Goetz Environmental Law Resume 2-26-20