G&K Profile
Dalva L. Moellenberg
Shareholder
My Practice
- Appeals
- Environmental - Environmental Assessment, Environmental Counseling, Environmental Due Diligence, Environmental Litigation, Environmental Lobbying, Legislation & Advocacy, Environmental Natural Resources, Environmental Regulatory Enforcement, Environmental Regulatory Permitting, Environmental Remediation, Environmental Rulemaking, Pollution Prevention and Mitigation
- Administrative Law & Regulatory
- Litigation
- Natural Resources - Agriculture, Mined Land Reclamation, Mining, Native American Natural Resources, Natural Resources Lobbying, Legislation & Advocacy, Natural Resources Regulation & Compliance, Oil & Gas, Public Lands, Water Quality, Water Rights, Wildlife & Endangered Species
- Government Affairs
- Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) - Environmental, Social License & Community Relations

Dal manages Gallagher & Kennedy’s Santa Fe office, practicing primarily with regulated industries, particularly in the areas of environmental and natural resources law and administrative law and litigation. For over 30 years, Dal has represented businesses in environmental, natural resources, and other sophisticated regulatory matters, working with legislative and regulatory bodies at the federal level, in both Arizona and New Mexico, and in the local markets of his clients. He also handles complex litigation and transactions involving regulated matters.
Dal concentrates his practice on water quality and water rights, Superfund, hazardous waste, mining law and mined land reclamation, and oil and gas regulation. His experience includes all types of administrative proceedings, including rulemaking, permitting and licensing, defense of regulatory enforcement actions, appeals of agency actions, and settlement, alternative dispute resolution, and litigation concerning environmental and other regulatory matters. He has appeared in administrative proceedings before the EPA Environmental Appeals Board, New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission, Environmental Appeals Board, Mining Commission, State Engineer, Superintendent of Insurance, Public Regulation Commission, and other agencies in New Mexico and Arizona. He has negotiated federal and state settlements regarding numerous matters, including federal Consent Decrees settling claims under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and CERCLA, including natural resource damage claims. Recent appellate experience includes appeals before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and the New Mexico Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, as well as appeals of administrative actions in the New Mexico District Courts.
Dal has been named a Southwest Super Lawyer since 2007, recognized among the Best Lawyers in America since 1999, and is ranked in Chambers USA.
Representative Experience
- Acting as the lead industry attorney in proceedings before the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission regarding the adoption of water quality control regulations for copper mines and dairies in accordance with 2009 amendments to the New Mexico Water Quality Act. These matters included development of industry strategy and representation in rule development proceedings conducted by the New Mexico Environment Department, public hearings before the Commission, and appeals to the New Mexico Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.
- Representing mining clients in New Mexico and Arizona in obtaining and maintaining mining claims on public lands and obtaining permits needed for mining operations, including federal and state water quality permits, air quality permits, mined land reclamation permits, and authorization for mining on state and federal public lands.
- Representing businesses in defending and settling compliance and enforcement actions brought by federal and state agencies under various environmental laws, including the federal Clean Water Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Endangered Species Act, and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and state water quality, air quality, and other environmental laws.
- Representing businesses conducting due diligence and negotiating contract terms concerning the acquisition of businesses and real estate, particularly relating to compliance with environmental laws and assessment of liability under Superfund and other environmental cleanup laws, acquisition and transfer of mineral rights, and leases and other rights on public lands.
- Representing industries in the assessment, negotiation, settlement, and litigation relating to response actions under federal and state Superfund and other cleanup laws and natural resource damage claims, including negotiation of numerous consent decrees filed in federal and state courts.
- Government relations advocacy before legislatures and federal and state agencies on behalf of various regulated entities, including the mining, oil and gas, chemical, and agriculture industries.
Associations & Memberships
- State Bar of New Mexico, Member
- State Bar of Arizona, Member
- State Bar of New Mexico, Environmental Law and Natural Resources Law Section, Member
- New Mexico Mining Association, Environment Committee, Chairman
- New Mexico Chamber of Commerce Environment, Water and Land Use Policy Committee, Vice-Chair
- Western New Mexico University Board of Regents, Member, 2023-2028
Honors & Awards
- AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
- Best Lawyers in America®, Environmental Law, 2001-2024; Litigation - Environmental, 2011-2024; Natural Resources Law, 2016-2024
- Best Lawyers in America®, Santa Fe Lawyer of the Year, Environmental Law, 2016, 2020, 2023
- Best Lawyers in America®, Santa Fe Lawyer of the Year, Natural Resources, 2022
- Chambers USA®, 2004-2008, 2013-2023
- Southwest Super Lawyers®, Environmental Law, 2007-2023
- Business Today News, Top 10 Influential New Mexico Lawyers Transforming Natural Resources & Environment Law, 2023
- ALM Media Legal Leaders, Arizona’s Top Rated Lawyers, 2018
- Doc Weiler/Marvin Watts Award for Professionalism, New Mexico Mining Association, 2012
- Arizona's Finest Lawyers, 2011
Published Works
- RCRA Regulation of Mining and State and Federal Mined Land Reclamation Programs, Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, 1990 and 1994
- Turning Gold into Solid Waste: RCRA Regulation of Industrial Processes, Arizona State Law Journal, 1991
Press Releases
- Best Lawyers in America® 2024 Recognizes 52 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys, August 21, 2023
- Gallagher & Kennedy Awarded Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2023, June 1, 2023
- G&K Shareholder Dalva L. Moellenberg Appointed to the Board of Regents for Western New Mexico University, March 15, 2023
- Best Lawyers in America® 2023 Recognizes 41 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys, August 18, 2022
- Gallagher & Kennedy Awarded Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2022, June 20, 2022
- 13 G&K Attorneys Selected to 2022 Super Lawyers & Rising Stars, April 7, 2022
- Best Lawyers in America® 2022 Recognizes 37 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys, August 19, 2021
- Gallagher & Kennedy Awarded Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2021, May 20, 2021
- Gallagher & Kennedy Announces 14 Attorneys Selected to 2021 Southwest Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists, April 8, 2021
- Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 36 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys, August 21, 2020
- Gallagher & Kennedy Achieves Top Rankings in 2020 Chambers USA, May 15, 2020
- Fourteen Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Selected for Southwest Super Lawyers 2020, April 6, 2020
- Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 33 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys as Leaders in Their Field, August 15, 2019
- Gallagher & Kennedy Achieves Top Rankings in 2019 Chambers USA, April 29, 2019
- Sixteen Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Selected for Southwest Super Lawyers 2019, April 15, 2019
- Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 35 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys as Leaders in Their Field, August 15, 2018
- Gallagher & Kennedy Achieves Top Rankings in Chambers USA, May 17, 2018
- Twenty-Two Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Selected for Southwest Super Lawyers 2018, April 24, 2018
- 35 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Recognized as 2018 ‘Best Lawyers in America®’, August 16, 2017
- Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys and Practice Areas Recognized by Chambers USA, May 31, 2017
- 24 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Named 2017 Southwest Super Lawyers, April 10, 2017
- 33 Gallagher & Kennedy Attorneys Named 2017 ‘Best Lawyers in America®’, August 17, 2016
- Gallagher & Kennedy Receives Top Rankings From Chambers USA, May 27, 2016
- Twenty-Six G&K Attorneys Selected to 2016 Southwest Super Lawyers’ List, April 11, 2016
- Dal Moellenberg Honored as Santa Fe’s “Lawyer of the Year” in Environmental Law, August 17, 2015
- G&K Attorneys Named to 2016 ‘The Best Lawyers in America®’ List, August 17, 2015
- Super Lawyers 2015 Recognizes 18 Attorneys, April 10, 2015
- G&K Attorneys Named to 2015 ‘The Best Lawyers in America®’ List, August 18, 2014
- Gallagher & Kennedy Achieves Top Rankings from Chambers USA 2014, May 30, 2014
- G&K Attorneys Selected for Southwest Super Lawyers 2014, April 11, 2014
- 36 G&K Attorneys Named to 2014 Best Lawyers in America® List, August 15, 2013
- Gallagher & Kennedy Secures Top Rankings From Chambers USA, June 1, 2013
- Nearly Two-Thirds of G&K’s Shareholders Named “Best Lawyers in America”, August 22, 2012
- Nineteen G&K Attorneys Named “Super Lawyers”, April 16, 2012
- More Than Half of G&K’s Shareholders Named “The Best Lawyers in America”, August 31, 2011
- Half of G&K’s Shareholders Named “The Best Lawyers in America”, August 4, 2010
- Twenty-Eight G&K Attorneys Named “Best Lawyers in America”, August 3, 2009
Related News
- Dalva Moellenberg named Top 10 Influential New Mexico Lawyers Transforming Natural Resources & Environment Law by Business Today News, July 9, 2023
- Dal Moellenberg Appointed to the Board of Regents for Western New Mexico University, March 7, 2023
- Bloomfield: State Wrongly Took $600,000 From City, November 14, 2018
- New Mexico Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Gallagher & Kennedy Client Freeport-McMoRan in “Copper Rule” Case, March 9, 2018
- Dairy Rule Hearings end with a Proposal, April 8, 2015
- Agreement Reached By New Mexico Dairy Industry, Environmental Advocates, April 7, 2015
Speaking Engagements
- New Mexico Water Law Conference, CLE International (Multiple Topics)
- WQARF Reform, Continuing Legal Education, State Bar of Arizona
- WQARF Reform, Continuing Legal Education, Arizona Chamber of Commerce
- Environmental Regulation of Mining, Continuing Legal Education, State Bar of New Mexico
- Water Quality and Toxic Substances, Continuing Legal Education, Arizona State University, Center for Environmental Studies
- Environmental Law Concerns for Developers, National Business Institute
- Preservation of Cultural Resources on Federal Public Lands in Arizona, National Business Institute
- Endangered Species and Wildlife Protection, National Business Institute
- Mineral Resource Management Issues, National Business Institute