The Federal Budget and Funding for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects: The View From Capital Hill

A timely and fascinating overview of the federal budgeting process as it relates to funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency was provided yesterday at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law by Drew Willison, Vice President, Public Policy and External Relations for Battelle, which operates the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) located near Denver.

Mr. Willison was a guest lecturer in Adjunct Professor Robert J. Noun's "Renewable Energy for the 21st Century: Policy, Law, Markets, Technology" course at the College of Law. Mr. Noun is NREL's Executive Director of Communications and External Affairs.

Mr. Willison, who has a masters in public administration and a JD degree, formerly worked for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He provided an insightful look at the "competing" budget proposals authored by President Barrack Obama, on one hand, and the Republican leadership headed by Speaker John Boehner in the U.S. House of Representatives on the other. He explained the budget calendar, as well as why the U.S. Congress is dealing with the current fiscal year's budget this week (measures are being voted on today in an unusual Friday session for the U.S. House).

In particular, he focused on the proposed budgets for the U.S. Department of Energy, which funds energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts, as well as the appropriations process that actually provides money for measures that have been through the budget process. He noted that the President's fiscal year 2012 budget, which will begin on October 1, provides a five percent increase from the fiscal year 2010 current appropriation. However, he explained that all of this funding will be subject to intense review and debate in a "divided government" where the Democrats control the presidency and the U.S. Senate while the Republicans control the U.S. House of Representatives.

Don Smith, Director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program, described the presentation as both illuminating and informative. "Students in Adjunct Professor Noun's course benefited enormously from Mr. Willison's presentation. Regardless what one may think of the competing budget proposals, there is great value in understanding the process and the key points of decision-making in the process. Mr. Willison's description of the process and its implications, both short and long term, will benefit all of the students irrespective of their final careers.

"It is noteworthy that through his course, Mr. Noun continues to introduce students to cutting edge policy and technology-related discussions. The College of Law is extremely fortunate to benefit from the experience and insight of individuals such as Bob Noun and Drew Willison. DU's ambition is to be the finest U.S. law school for learning about renewable energy, and through the efforts of Mr. Noun and individuals such as Mr. Willison we are meeting that objective," Mr. Smith said.

Editor's Note: In the picture above, Drew Willison is on the far left and Bob Noun is on the far right. Several Mr. Noun's students are also pictured.

Students Visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Nation's Primary Lab for Renewable Energy Research and Development

Energy is a specialty in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. We offer everything from courses on traditional hydrocarbons -- such as oil and gas -- to an entire series of courses on renewables. The graduate program -- for those seeking a Masters of Law or Masters of Resource Law Studies degrees -- even offers a special certificate for Renewable Energy.

Because of the SCOL’s emphasis on hands-on experience, many of our courses include field trips. Professor K.K. DuVivier’s "Energy Law" course, a survey seminar, and Professor Bob Noun’s "Renewable Energy for the 21st Century: Policies, Law, Technology, & Markets" course both recently visited the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Co., which is about 25 miles (45 kilometers) from the DU campus.

According to Prof. DuVivier, the tours of NREL are especially meaningful because of the laboratory's role as "the nation's primary laboratory for energy efficiency and renewable energy research and development. While at NREL my class was able to watch solar photovoltaic and biofuels research in progress."

DU is particularly pleased to have Mr. Noun, an attorney by training, as one of our adjunct professors. He is Executive Director of Public Affairs at NREL and one of the nation's leading experts on renewables policy.

Career Panel Spring 2010; Opportunities, Challenges, Trends Presented by Six Environmental and Energy Leaders

Pursuing a graduate degree is in effect building a foundation for the future. But what kind of future? And what does it take to effectively make the transition from student to worker?

The Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Graduate Program sponsored a career panel recently at which these and other similar issues were discussed and analyzed. The panel, organized and brought together by Assistant Director Lucy Daberkow, reflected stories of success and determination related to many of the different aspects that a student must consider when preparing to move into the job market. Taken together the panelists provided insightful guidance about the job market and the future.

The panelists (in alphabetical order) were:

• Adjunct Prof. Cecilia Dalupan, Associate Director of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.
• Tukka Hess, 2009 LLM graduate, counsel in the Project Development and Finance Group at the law firm of Holland & Hart.
• Andy Lubner, 2009 LLM graduate and Contract Specialist for the National Park Service.
• Gene Holland, 2008 MRLS graduate; Senior Project Leader in Deployment and Industry Partnerships at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
• Kate Marks, 2009 MRLS graduate and Managing Director for the National Association of State Energy Officials.
• Adjunct Prof. Bob Noun; Director of Communications and External Affairs at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Among the key pieces of advice for those attending the session:

• Look for ways to network with key actors in the field; volunteer to do research projects; take on writing assignments as a means of "proving your worth" to potential employers.
• Be persistent and don't rely on a resume or CV to "open the door" for you.
• Work on improving your writing; being a good writer is a benefit no matter what type of position you are seeking.
• Talk to your friends about the type of work you are looking for; see if they have contacts with whom you should follow up.
• Be committed to constantly learning about your field; learning can take many forms including reading about new developments and trends, attending conferences, meeting speakers.
• Look for publications to contribute to; leaders tend to be interested in who is writing about the newest developments.
• Be willing to look outside of the "normal" places for work; this includes outside of Colorado and outside the U.S.
• Look for contract/temporary work for federal agencies that can lead to permanent employment in the future.
• Accept that in your career you are likely to have many different positions, many of which will be dictated by the trends in your field at a particular time.

Finding a new position or "inventing" a position for yourself are not always easy and things do not always happen when we would like them to. On the other hand, there are things that a student can control such as being as prepared as possible when an opportunity does come along.

Many thanks to each of our panelists who offered much advice and context for finding a job in tomorrow's job market. And thanks again to Lucy Daberkow for bringing together such a talented, energetic, and thoughtful panel.

To watch a video of the career panel, please click here.

--Don Smith

Colorado Governor's Climate Advisor Alice Madden Speaks to Cutting-Edge Renewable Energy Course at the Sturm College of Law

Alice Madden, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter's Climate Change Advisor, spoke recently to Adjunct Prof. Bob Noun's "Renewable Energy in the 21st Century: Policy, Legislation, Technology, Markets" course at the Sturm College of Law.

Ms. Madden, who served from 2004 to 2008 as the Majority Leader in the Colorado House of Representatives, spoke about attending on behalf of Gov. Ritter the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December 2009 and the fact that the U.S. was much more active at the Copenhagen conference than it had been in previous climate change conferences.

She also explained the evolution of Colorado's renewable energy portfolio standard, the state mandated measure that sets a minimum level of renewable energy generation as part of a utility's entire generating portfolio. In 2004 state voters approved a "first of its kind" referendum that required investor owned utilities operating in Colorado to produce at least 10 percent of their electricity from renewables by 2020. Under her leadership that percentage was subsequently increased by the State Legislature to 20 percent in 2007 and now the state is on the verge of increasing the number yet again to 30 percent by 2020.

The Governor's office, under the direction of Ms. Madden, has worked carefully with key stakeholders to build legislative and business support for the 30 percent level. She noted that assuming the 30 percent level is approved by the legislature, Colorado will have one of the most ambitious renewable energy targets in the country, a level that will underscore Colorado's objective to be the center of "the new energy economy." Looked at another way, the fact that Colorado has gone from no renewable energy target in 2003 to probably 30 percent by 2010 is a testament to the leadership provided by a key group of renewables advocates including Ms. Madden.

Prof. Noun, who serves in a leadership position at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, and is widely recognized as one of the most knowledgeable experts in the U.S. about renewables policy, has organized what some consider the most forward-looking renewable energy course offered by any American law school. Including learning from Ms. Madden, who is situated directly in the center of Colorado's policy making process, students have also heard from leaders in the renewable energy field including policy makers, lawyers, and technology experts.

"Renewable Energy in the 21s Century" is a "one of its kind" offering and the Sturm College of Law is delighted to be associated with nationally recognized leaders such as Prof. Noun and Ms. Madden.

--Don Smith