Alletta (Letty) Belin

Letty Belin is an attorney specializing in water management and use, tribal water rights and water quality, water infrastructure, endangered species, and other natural resource issues. In addition to being a half-time Landreth Visiting Fellow, she consults with foundations, non-profit organizations and others on western water issues.  From May 2009 to January 2017 she was Counselor to the Deputy Secretary of the Interior Department in Washington, D.C., where much of her work focused on western water issues, with a particular emphasis on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta and other California water matters.  She served as Chair of the Department’s Working Group on Indian Water Settlements throughout the Obama Administration, assisting in negotiation, finalization and enactment of water settlements for fifteen Indian tribes. Prior to 2009, she spent 25 years practicing environmental, natural resource, water and Indian law in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  From 1993 to 1999, she served under New Mexico Attorney General Tom Udall as Director of the Energy, Environment, and Telecommunications Division.  Before then, Letty also was an associate and partner at the San Francisco law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger where her focus was on land use, environmental and tribal law issues.  Letty has a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.