Author Description
Michael Bogert works in Parsons Behle & Latimer’s Boise and Washington, D.C. offices. He is the former counselor to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, a position he held for two and a half years following his appointment by President George W. Bush on July 10, 2006. He is also the former regional administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 10 office in Seattle (appointed by President Bush in 2005). As counselor to the secretary under Dirk Kempthorne, he advised the secretary on various policy issues in the areas of endangered species and served as the secretary’s lead policy negotiator on Tribal water rights settlements, including the landmark Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, among others. As the regional administrator for EPA Region 10, he was responsible for leading EPA’s partnerships with the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska, as well as the 271 federally recognized Tribes in the Region. Michael also served as the principal legal advisor to Governor Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho for over five years (1999-2004), advising the executive office and agencies on legal implications of state policy and legislation, with an emphasis on environmental issues and matters within the jurisdiction of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the Idaho Department of Water Resources. Mr. Bogert has also worked as counsel to the office of Governor-Elect Arnold Schwarzenegger of California (2003), and was chief deputy legal affairs secretary to Governor Pete Wilson of California (1995-1998). Michael attended The George Washington University, L.L.M. Program, Environmental Law, 1994-1995, and received degrees from the University of Idaho College of Law, J.D., 1985, and the University of Santa Clara, B.A. (History), 1979.
