The fourth WestFAST webinar of 2026 will be held on Thursday, July 9 at 1pm Mountain Time. Stephen Bartell will provide an update on the Department of Justice’s current water-related litigation in the West and beyond.
No registration is required. You may join the webinar at the link below. A recording of this webinar will be available within 1-2 weeks following the webinar.
Microsoft Teams meeting
Meeting ID: 222 084 974 413 633
Passcode: Jj2Xb6zW
Dial in by phone
Phone conference ID: 103 660 312#
Presenter Bio:
Stephen Bartell
Assistant Section Chief, United States Department of Justice, Environment & Natural Resources
Division, Natural Resources Section
Contact Information:
Email: stephen.bartell@usdoj.gov
Address: P.O. Box 7611, Washington, D.C. 20044-7611
Office & Cell Phone No. (202) 532-3079
Career experience:
1992 – Present: Trial Attorney, Senior Trial Attorney, and Assistant Section Chief for U.S. Department of Justice. Practice focuses on water rights issues and adjudications across the western United States. Examples include lead counsel for all state water rights adjudications and the Yucca Mountain water rights litigation in Nevada; United States v. Hage trespass litigation; RS 2477 rightsof-way litigation in Utah and North Dakota; and counsel in various natural resources cases, including NEPA, military preparedness, mining, timber, and county supremacy cases. Since spring 2016, Assistant Section Chief supervising the Justice Department team that is responsible for litigating all non-Indian western water rights cases on behalf of the United States, and most defensive cases on behalf of the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Department of Energy, and National Nuclear Security Agency.
Education:
Juris Doctor, University of Denver (1992)
Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Miami (1989)
License:
Member of the bar of Colorado, but practices on behalf of the United States in courts across the country
Interests:
Spending as much time as possible with 15 and 17 year old daughters, and getting out in the desert, mountains, or oceans. Skiing, camping, surfing, scuba diving, and music.
Favorite Quote:
“Whiskey is for drinkin’, water for fightin’.”
