Friday, January 7, 2011

Diego Parravicini, 2009 LLM Graduate, Writes and Speaks From Argentina

Diego Parravicini, who earned his LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, has had a busy year in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he practices law with one of Latin America's most important firms Estudio Beccar Varela.

In November, he was published in EL DERECHO, one of the most prestigious law journals in Argentina. He wrote a paper analyzing the case “Cerro Vanguardia vs. DGI,” in which the Supreme Court of Argentina determined the scope of the fiscal stability benefit set forth by the Argentine Mining Investment Law, within the context of the promotion purposes (fomento) established by such mining fiscal regime. The article’s introduction is below. (The article is available in Spanish, upon request.)
"The system of incentives embodied in the Mining Investment Law 24 196 (LIM) was designed by the National Congress in order to promote the growth of the mining industry in Argentina. Indeed, the framework of benefits established by the LIM was aimed at encouraging the development of the mining sector through the implementation of conditions that decrease the risk of investment and attract capital. One of the most important benefits that the LIM granted to those who abide by it is the fiscal stability, i.e. the protective shield that ensures the investor a thirty year period of unmodified tax burden current to the moment of presentation of their feasibility study. The real extent of this benefit was considered by the Supreme Court's Office (CS) in 'Cerro Vanguardia SA (TF 22172-I) c. DGI.' This paper aims to analyze the ruling of the Supreme Court in the context of the purpose of promotion established in the LIM."
Also in November he gave a presentation at “Argentina Oro y Plata” a seminar organized by Panorama Minero, the most prestigious mining magazine in Argentina. He talked about a bill, currently under revision, by means of which the Congress is trying to prohibit, among other things, open pit mining and the use of cyanide lixiviation techniques in mining. "Pursuant to my analysis, this bill could possibly be challenged on constitutional grounds, since it is not reasonable and affects certain rights protected by our National Constitution," Diego says. The pictures (above) are from the Mining Law Panel.

Diego also writes:
"Last September I won a scholarship to attend a seminar on wind energy launched by the RENAC (Renewables Academy), a private German company that is working on TREE (Transfer of Renewable Energy & Efficienty), a project that was created to promote the transfer of renewable energy technology to individuals or entities from Third World Countries engaged in such business http://www.tree-project.de/. The Seminar, which was held in Berlin, covered the technical, financial and legal aspects of wind energy."
In conclusion, Diego says "2010 has been a great year for the natural resources law practice at Estudio Beccar Varela. Fortunately, I could participate in very important and interesting deals involving mining, oil and gas and energy matters, representing not only project owners, but also multilateral agencies and private financial entities.”

Felicitaciones Diego y buena suerte en 2011! (Congratulations Diego and good luck in 2011!).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Dr. Elizabeth Holland, Senior Scientist at NCAR, to Address the Science of Climate Change on January 18 at Sturm College of Law; Talk Open to Public

Dr. Elizabeth Holland, Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), will talk about the science of climate change to all students, faculty, and others interested in the topic in conjunction with Adjunct Professor Anita Halvorssen's Global Climate Change Law & Policy course at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 18 in room 180.

Dr. Holland leads the Biogeoscience Program (BGS) at NCAR. Dr. Holland and the other lead authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), along with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore , were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2007.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Writings of Professor Tom I. Romero II Featured in New Book About Colorado Legal History, "Steam, Steel & Statutes"

A new book about Colorado legal history features contributions by Tom I. Romero II, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Steam, Steel & Statutes: True Tales from Colorado Legal History is a compilation of historical perspective articles published from 2002-1010 in The Colorado Lawyer, the journal of the Colorado Bar Association.

Professor Romero established the "Historical Perspectives" column in 2002 when he wrote “Raging Waters at Cub Creek: A Homesteader Confronts Prior Appropriation.” At the time the piece was published Professor Romero was Legal Studies Fellow at the Center of the American West at Colorado University. Professor Romero authored the column from 2002 through 2003.

Leona Martínez, Managing Editor of The Colorado Lawyer, commenting about the book said:
“The articles have generated enormous reader interest and support” adding, “With this compilation of Historical Perspectives articles, the Colorado Bar Association Continuing Legal Education has opened the doors to Colorado’s colorful legal history. The staff of The Colorado Lawyer is grateful to Tom Romero for laying the groundwork to a fine tradition…”
Authored by Frank Gibbard, who also wrote many of the book’s articles as well as organized the publication, Steam, Steel & Statutes includes the work of Colorado lawyers Bill C. Berger, Jeffrey P. Kelson, Robert M. Linz, and Claire E. Munger as well as Professor Romero.

Among the contributions written by Professor Romero are these environmental and natural resources offerings:
  • “Forming the Environmental Citizen: Colorado’s Early Legal Efforts at Protecting Outdoor Recreation”
  • “Rocky Mountain Riches: Law and the Extraction of Colorado’s Mineral Wealth”
  • “The Original ‘Sod Squad’: Dry Lawns, Dirty Cars, and the Legality of Water Restrictions in the 1950s”
  • “Vision Quest: Coal and Culture in Colorado’s Native Lands”
Non-environmental and natural resources contributions include:
  • Bah Humbug! Colorado Law and the Winter Holidays
  • Law, Order, and Municipal Authority in Colorado’s Early Mining Towns
  • Race, Murder and Criminal Prosecution in Wartime Denver
The book is published by the Colorado Bar Association Continuing Legal Education. More information about the book is available by clicking here.

Professor Romero’s environmental and natural resources courses are clearly enriched by his study of Colorado history.