Geologic Storage Enterprise

Anna Littlefield is the Low Carbon Energy Program Manager at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. She has extensive technical expertise in geologic carbon storage and applies her experience to policy discussions about the energy transition.

Prior to her current role, Littlefield spent 8 years in the oil and gas industry, where she worked development, appraisal, exploration, new ventures, and carbon sequestration projects. She has also conducted scientific analyses for Class VI operators and worked at the National Renewable Energy Lab.

Littlefield earned a B.S. in Geology from Appalachian State University and an M.S. in Geology from Texas A&M University. She is a candidate for PhD in Geology from the Colorado School of Mines with a focus on geochemical monitoring and modelling for carbon capture and storage sites. 

Littlefield's term begins summer 2025 and expires 9/1/2028. She fills the seat reserved for a person with substantial experience in wellbore monitoring, long-term stewardship, or other relevant technical fields.

In her role as the ECMC Director, Julie Murphy leverages her knowledge of complex issues facing natural resource management from the policy, technical, and legal perspectives. Murphy managed the Class VI rulemaking efforts and the development of Colorado’s primacy application to regulate Class VI facilities.

Murphy’s vision is for ECMC to be a division that demonstrates integrity, exemplifies transparency, and provides the highest levels of service to all stakeholders, all while administering oil and gas rules that are protective of public health, safety, welfare, wildlife, and the environment. Following the passage of SB19-181, Murphy has led the division’s transition that includes successfully completing Mission Change, Flowline, Wellbore Integrity, and Financial Assurance rulemakings; leading Staff from a historically volunteer-led commission to a professional commission structure; and, increasing and aligning resources and Staff to address the increase in the volume and complexity of workload from the newly implemented rules.

Prior to her current appointment on July 1, 2020, Murphy served at different roles at ECMC, including Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisory, Director, and the Hearings and Regulatory Affairs Manager. She was an Assistant Attorney General representing the Commission and the Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety. In the private sector, Julie spent 5 years representing clients in land use, natural resources, private property, and environmental disputes.

Murphy earned a B.S. in Wildlife Biology, Kansas State University; a Master of Earth and Environmental Resources Management and J.D. from the University of South Carolina; and a Masters of Studies in Environmental Law from the Vermont Law School. As a Denver native, she can be found exploring the wilderness with Ben and their children Walter, Arthur, and Murphy on foot, in a raft, or on skis when not working.

Murphy's term begins summer 2025. She fills the seat reserved for the Director of ECMC. The seat is held in perpetuity and does not have a term limit.

Bob Randall is a Managing Partner at Kaplan Kirsch and a member of numerous public boards and commissions focused on environmental issues. As a natural resources professional with over 20 years of experience, he has a demonstrated ability to navigate the technical and legal challenges associated with the energy transition.

Randall previously worked at the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, where he served as Executive Director from 2016-2019. He chaired Colorado’s 2010 Carbon Capture and Sequestration Task Force, which explored a legal foundation for CCS in the state. Prior to DNR, he practiced as an attorney representing citizens, communities, and advocacy groups on land management and energy development issues.

Randall has a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri - Columbia, and a J.D. from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College. 

Randall's term begins summer 2025 and expires 9/1/2027. He fills the seat reserved for a person with formal training or substantial experience in environmental protection, public health, or other relevant fields.
 

Jeff Robbins is the Chair of the Energy and Carbon Management Commission. He led legislation to clarify ECMC’s authority over geologic storage operations in the state, developed the Geologic Storage Stewardship Enterprise, and presided over the ECMC adoption of regulations to govern Class VI carbon sequestration facilities as well as Colorado’s application to the US EPA for primacy to regulate Class VI facilities.

Robbins joined the ECMC as interim Director in January 2019 and then as official Director in March 2019. He led the division’s efforts in the SB 19-181 rulemaking that changed ECMC’s mission from “fostering” oil and gas development to “regulating” in a manner that is protective of public health, safety, welfare, wildlife and the environment. Robbins has continued to support the implementation of this landmark legislation. Other achievements during his tenure include facilitating the transition of the COGCC to the ECMC, the development of the Orphan and Marginal Well Enterprise, and chairing the Commission’s Cumulative Impacts and Financial Assurance Rulemakings.

Prior to being the ECMC Director, he served as counselor and advisor to Gov. Jared Polis on oil and gas issues for six years. Robbins also served on the 2014 Colorado Task Force Regarding State and Local Regulation of Oil and Gas Operations. He had a private law practice in Colorado since 1996, and was a partner in the law firm of Goldman, Robbins, Nicholson & Mack, P.C., based in Durango. He has substantial experience in governmental law. Early in his career, he served as County Attorney for La Plata County for 12 years and Archuleta County for 3 years. His practice focused on assisting multiple front range communities, including Adams County, the City of Aurora, the City of Dacono, Boulder County, the City of Lafayette, and the City of Timnath, as legal counsel on oil and gas matters helping these communities address land use and surface issues arising out of oil and gas operations. He practiced extensively before the ECMC in the representation of these clients. Robbins has a B.A. in English from Washington and Lee University and earned a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Robbins's term begins summer 2025 and expires 9/1/2026. He fills the seat reserved for an ECMC Commissioner.

Ashleigh Ross is a globally-recognized technical and commercial leader with over 23 years of dedication to CCUS and energy technology across a broad skillset including strategy, technology, policy, economics, commercial and project development, and deep subsurface expertise, including appointment to the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s CCS Permitting Task Force and as Dept of Energy HQ’s Deputy Director of Carbon Management Technologies.  She previously led Carbon America’s business development, policy, and advocacy efforts to ensure a robust, effective, and efficient landscape for CCS deployment.  In previous roles over 12 years in oil and gas, she was responsible for the development of BP’s CCUS strategy and portfolio and served as CCS expert and reservoir engineer at ConocoPhillips.  Ashleigh has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Oklahoma State University, M.S. in Chemical Engineering and M.S. in Technology and Policy from M.I.T. focused on techno-economic based deployment strategies for CCS, and an M.Phil. in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge where she was a Gates scholar.  

Ross's term begins summer 2025 and expires 9/1/2026. She fills the seat reserved for a person who is an expert in geologic storage, preferably with actuarial science background as related to evaluating long-term risk of geologic storage facilities.