Katia Castillo Paredes, 2008 LLM Graduate and Senior Attorney for Barrick Gold in Peru, Speaks About Peruvian Environmental and Mining Law

Peruvian environmental and mining law was recently the topic in the "Comparative Environmental Law" course when students heard from Katia Castillo Paredes, una abogada senior (a senior lawyer) from Barrick Gold Corporation's Lima, Peru office.

Ms. Castillo, who spoke to the class (meeting in Denver) from her office in Lima via a speakerphone connection, described for the students her work as an in-house attorney for one of the world's most prominent gold mining companies.

It was a particular pleasure to "host" Ms. Castillo, a 2008 LLM graduate from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, since she plays a key role in Barrick's legal department and consequently has a "front row seat" in terms of how Barrick operates in Peru as well as the challenges and opportunities the company faces.

As background, Barrick's headquarters is in Toronto, Canada. It has 26 mines and exploration and development projects across the globe. In 2009 the company's production was 38 percent in North America and 25 percent in South America. Its reserves were 40 percent in North America and 35 percent in South America.

At the outset of her remarks Ms. Castillo said, "Barrick is committed to sustainable economic development, environmental stewardship, and a culture of safety." She added that the company is committed internally to pursuing a theme of corporate social responsibility.

In Peru Barrick operates two mines, Lagunas Norte and Pierina, both of which are located north of Lima.

Ms. Castillo explained the life cycle of developing, building, and closing a mine and the important parts of each step in the process. She also described the Peruvian environmental regulatory scheme and the various governmental organizations that deal with mining regulation. Finally, she talked about the changes in mining that have come about in more recent years.

Of particular interest to the students were Ms. Castillo's comments about the need for mining companies to obtain "the social license to operate" in the communities where they work. "This refers to the acceptance of a project by the population that lives around the area," she said. "You can have all the permits required by the government, but if the local people do not want you there Barrick will not develop a project there." Therefore, to undertake a successful mining project, a company must meet all legal requirements as well as obtain the social license to operate.

Because of the wide diversity of backgrounds of students in the course -- Argentina, Japan, Nigeria, Peru, and the U.S. -- Ms. Castillo's remarks about her experience and expertise are likely to inform future projects across many parts of the world. I was especially happy about this since Ms. Castillo was one of the best students to ever have studied at the Sturm College of Law (as a matter of fact, she won a prestigious Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Scholarship Award while she was studying in Denver), and it is a very great pleasure to see her contributing in such a major way to her company and indeed her home country.

And so from Denver I say felicitaciones a Katia y muchas gracias por tu ayuda (congratulations and many thanks for your help)! Ms. Castillo is an impressive role model for our students and inspires all of us to think about how the mining sector can be made more sustainable.

--Don Smith

Mark Macneill, 2009 LLM Graduate, Reports From Canada

It is always a pleasure to hear from our alums. To be sure many of you are making major and timely contributions all over the world. We try to share these with our larger graduate program community when they come to our attention.

The latest installation of our reports from around the world comes from Mark Macneill, a 2009 LLM graduate who lives and works in Canada:

"I'm a lecturer part-time on a distance basis with the Royal Military College of Canada (Kingston, Ontario). I'm teaching "Introduction to Defence Management" and have 243 students from their Officers' Professional Management Education program.

I'm also working Pro Bono for the Save The Grand River Watershed Association. A petition I drafted on their behalf to prevent a wind/hydro project that would dam and alter Lake Uist (which feeds the Grand River and is one of our Atlantic Salmon spawning rivers) was abandoned after we submitted the petition to the Commissioner for the Environment and Sustainable Development at the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. [To see the full-text of the petition, please click here.]

I also served as a registered federal and provincial lobbyist on the part of the Inverness South Fishermen's Association who fish the south Gulf Region (Gulf of St. Lawrence) to lobby for additional commercial snow crab quota on their behalf.

I have also worked as a pro bono lobbyist for U.S. interests seeking to establish a cruise/ferry service between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia who wish to re-establish a service across the Bay of Fundy between those two ports."

Mr. Macneill also has a Bachelor's of Law degree from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Environmental Economics Professor Catherine Keske Says Coloradans "Value Our Environment"

Natural resources economist Catherine Keske has made a career of studying the value to Coloradans of a clean environment.

Her conclusion is that regardless of the ups and downs of economic cycles, people who live here "value our recreation" and "value our environment," according to a recent front-page article in the Fort Collins Coloradan ("Environment Still a Priority," April 25, 2010).

Dr. Keske, who is an assistant professor at Colorado State University and an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, has also been featured on Colorado Public Radio (click here) where she talked about the relationship between spending and hiking Colorado's "fourteeners."

Students attending the Sturm College of Law benefit from Dr. Keske's insight into the role that economics plays in helping shape environmental policy. She teaches "Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment: Policy, Markets, and Economic Measurement," here at the law school, and in the fall semester of 2010 she will be teaching a new on-line offering entitled "Energy Economics and Policy."

Having experts such as Catherine Keske on the Sturm College of Law faculty make DU's environmental and natural resources offerings among the strongest in the world.

Environmental Courts and Tribunals Study Co-authored by DU Law Professor George (Rock) Pring Featured in The New York Times

The first comprehensive global report on the status of environmental courts and tribunals, which was authored by University of Denver Sturm College of Law Professor George (Rock) Pring and his wife Catherine Pring, was featured recently in The New York Times.

The report, "Greening Justice: Creating and Improving Environmental Courts and Tribunals," published by the Access Initiative of the Washington, D.C.-based World Resources Institute, identified 12 essential elements "that go into making environment courts successful," according to Prof. Pring.

According to the Times' article:

"The number of courts and tribunals specializing in environmental issues doubled during the past decade, prompted by increasingly complex regulations and growing concerns about natural resources, according to a new study."

The article, entitled "Study: Last Decade Saw Boom in Environmental Courts, Tribunals" (April 20, 2010), can be accessed by clicking here.

The map at left indicates (in green) the countries in which environmental courts or tribunals exist.

Please click here to visit the Prings' Environmental Courts and Tribunals website.

Students attending the Sturm College of Law have the opportunity of learning directly from world recognized environmental law professors such as Professor Pring. Among the courses he teaches are "Environmental Law," "International Environmental Law," and "International Water Law." He is also the faculty advisor for the University of Denver Water Law Review, the leading water law journal in the U.S.

The Law School Graduate Program Looks to Expand Relationships With Latin American Universities

The University of Denver Sturm College of Law Environmental and Natural Resources Graduate program is considering expanding study opportunities with one of Mexico’s premier educational institutions, the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, ITESM.

The ITESM was established in 1944 and has campuses in 27 cities across Mexico as well as offices in 14 countries. Their educational model “emphasizes collaborative work and uses didactic techniques such as problem-based learning, project-oriented learning, and the case-solving method. In this way knowledge is applied to solving real-life problems, it makes studying meaningful and becomes the object of critical reflection and social commitment.” Their commitment to internationalization is clear as well and it ties perfectly with our own efforts to increase the enrollment of Latin American students in our graduate program.

Assistant Graduate Program Director Lucy Daberkow recently met with representatives of the ITESM Campus Chihuahua, Dr. Tonatiuh Nájera, Dean and Professor at the School of Business and Humanities and with Ana Escobar, Director of Law Studies. During their meeting, several study opportunities that would benefit both institutions were discussed. For instance, offering online courses to fit the needs of student in both schools; exchange programs for students and faculty; creation of short-summer courses to benefit both schools.

Ms. Daberkow said, "We are truly thankful to Dr. Nájera and Ms. Ana Escobar for their hospitality and for the opportunity to work on many projects in the near future."

Stay tuned for more information.

Inter-American Development Bank to Promote Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in the Entire Western Hemisphere

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United States have announced an enhanced effort to promote the development of clean energy sources throughout the western hemisphere.

Recently the IDB and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed an agreement aimed at facilitating DOE assistance to the IDB in the distribution of about $3 billion in funds for clean energy projects. An example of how the money will be spent was offered by IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno who said the bank would propose to the Haitian government a new energy infrastructure aimed at harnessing the island's wind, solar, and hydroelectric potential. He said:

"One billion dollars [for this project] is a lot of money...But imagine what it would mean to Haiti to reduce its burden from fuel imports. Furthermore, this would prove that renewable energy isn't a luxury, but rather a smart way of unleashing human potential in even the most difficult of settings."

The IDB and the DOE are also planning to establish an Energy Partnership for the Americas Innovation Center, which will be staffed by world leading renewable energy experts.

In addressing the partnership, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted the increasing interest in renewable energy all across the hemisphere and how energy issues are related to economic development:

"[The large income gap between north and south] is the most important challenge we face as fellow Americans. What do we do to make sure that we create rising incomes, improving standards of living for people from the Arctic to the very tip of South America? Energy is one of the keys that will unlock what has been a consistent challenge over so many decades. We cannot lose this opportunity."

Established in 1959, the IDB is the world's largest development bank. It reports to 48 western hemisphere countries.

Critical Climate Change and Water Law Issues Examined at the 2010 University of Denver Water Law Review Symposium

The important relationship between climate change and water law was considered recently at the 2010 DU Water Law Review Symposium, which was organized by the editors and staff of the University of Denver Water Law Review.

The symposium began with opening remarks by DU Law Professor George "Rock" Pring, a noted water law expert and Danielle Sexton, editor-in-chief of the Water Law Review.

Highlights during the symposium included:

• Brad Udall, Director of the University of Colorado NOAA Western Water Assessment who addressed projected climate change impacts on western U.S. water resources.

• Amy Beatie, Director of the Colorado Water Trust, talked about ethical issues in the water practice specifically involving appeals.

• Prof. Dan Tarlock, an internationally recognized expert in environmental law and the law of water use of the Chicago-Kent School Law addressed water and climate change and the strategies for adaptation and mitigation.

• Bart Miller, water program director for Western Resource Advocates explained the energy and water connection as it relates to oil shale development in Colorado.

• Colorado Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hobbs reviewed the work of the Colorado Water Courts.

The Water Law Review is an internationally circulated, semi-annual publication that serves as a high-quality forum for the exchange of ideas, information, and legal and policy analyses concerning water law.

According to Prof. Pring:

"First published in 1997, the Water Law Review is a practical resource for lawyers, policy makers, and students. Our continued involvement in the water law community allows us to stay current on developing water issues. Every issue includes up to date articles on developing water law issues, as well as several other useful and interesting resources such as biographies of water practitioners, book notes, conference reports, and coverage of water cases from all U.S. federal and state courts.

The Water Law Review is a student run journal. Students are responsible for the production of the journal, from the solicitation of articles to the final content editing and publishing. Students gain valuable experience in legal research, writing, management, and water law from their involvement on the Water Law Review."

Below are pictures taken at the conference.