The Denver Business Journal has named Denver attorney Kayla Byers as one of Colorado's most important and influential female leaders in the state's energy industry. The recognition, part of the publication's annual Top Women in Energy awards, recognizes leaders from a variety of industries including accounting, finance, law, oil and gas, utilities, midstream, and education.

“Kayla is a leader in Colorado's energy industry who is helping to shape what the industry will look like over the next 20 years,” said Andy Spielman, the co-partner-in-charge of the Denver office of WilmerHale and the chair of the firm's Energy, Environment and Natural Resources (EENR) Practice. “As a Senior Associate in WilmerHale's EENR practice, Kayla works with leading renewable and traditional energy clients in Colorado to ensure that they can continually grow, innovate, and invest in our state.” 

One example of Byers' work that benefitted Colorado's energy industry was her success assisting renewable energy company Invenergy LLC to permit the Rush Creek development—a $1 billion, 600-megawatt wind farm spanning four counties in eastern Colorado. She assisted Invenergy in acquiring the local permitting approvals necessary to develop this massive project. The project is the largest wind energy facility in the state of Colorado and will boost the state's wind generation capacity by 20 percent. Byers provided the client with counseling on all aspects of the local regulatory process so that the client could successfully obtain permits from each of the four Colorado counties—an enormous regulatory challenge.