MRLS alum enjoys success in Australia

Kathryn Sachs, a 2009 Master of Resources Law Studies graduate, is employed by the engineering company, URS, in their Asia Pacific branch.
She is currently based in Brisbane, Australia working on a project between ConocoPhillips and the Australia's leading energy provider, Origin Energy, to construct LNG (liquefied natural gas) facilities near the Port of Gladstone on Australia's east coast. When complete, the facility will help to market Australia's natural gas to larger export markets across the Pacific. Kathryn's focus is assuring that the project complies with all
federal, state, and local environmental laws that apply to it.
Her responsibilities include providing compliance management expertise, coordinating regular reviews of compliance reports and monitoring data, maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of relevant approvals processes and legislation and assessing their relevance to the project, and liaising with environmental, legal, tenure, and engineering professionals to monitor the status of approvals.
Demand from China and other emerging economies is driving a boom in the natural resources sector of the Australian economy and consequently, professionals with a high level of knowledge or expertise in the natural resources sector are in demand. Kathryn's background as an MRLS graduate, proved valuable in securing her position, and though the legislative requirements differ between the US and Australia, she credits her DU experience with helping her analyze legal requirements critically and apply the law to real-life scenarios in resource development.
Kathryn is thrilled to be able to use her education to work and live
abroad. She sees it as a valuable opportunity to step outside of the
framework of the US legal system and see how things are done elsewhere - and the surfing is pretty good too!

Lucy Daberkow, Associate Administrative Director, commented: " We could not be more proud of Kat's accomplishments! We've been following her career since her graduation from the MRLS program and knew that she was truly one of the brightest stars in our program."

LLM Student, William Saunders, Represents the ENRGP Program at The 2012 Sustainable Opportunities Summit

William Saunders blogs about his experience at the recent Sustainability Summit.

The 2012 Sustainable Opportunities Summit dealt with issues at the forefront of our efforts to shift to a more sustainable way of life. The topics were balanced, dealing with the environment, natural resources, technology and the economy. The speakers were incredibly knowledgeable and passionate. It was clear they knew the stakes and were attacking the issues from all angles.

The conference kicked off with an inspiring keynote speech from John Viera from Ford Motor Company. Mr. Viera talked about the innovations going on at Ford and in the state of Michigan. Ford is taking responsibility for the way they run their operations, but also the way they interact with the community. Ford is looking at everything from recycling to human rights to using water and other natural resources sustainably. By the end of his key note, the tone had been set -- sustainability encompasses everything we do as individuals or as a corporation.

The conference was then broken up into “tracks” which addressed different topics relating to sustainability issues. The first session I attended was titled: The Intersection of Information Technology and Energy Efficiency. Most interesting, were SmartGrids and outsourcing data storage to servers like the “clouds” offered by companies such as Amazon and Apple. Clouds are also available for businesses. One of the major concerns with both types of innovation is privacy. All the panelists stressed that these companies recognize the implications for their reputation if privacy is breached. A yet unanswered concern involves: who owns the data?

As David Gold from Clean Technology Investments discussed, there has been a marked pull-back in investment in renewable and clean technologies since the economic downturn in 2008. Mr. Deora, however, pointed to some of the efforts currently taking place in Colorado. Specifically, he highlighted the focus on transportation fuels, such as compressed natural gas, identifying and overcoming market challenges to facilitate public-private partnerships for project financing, and the development of the Innovation Resource Portal – which is sort of a one-stop-shop for problem solving and identifying gaps in the energy market.

The next session was on the Future of Water. One of the most important aspects of sustainability was discussed during this hour: the collision of food, energy, and water. Agriculture uses about 80% of our water here in Colorado and globally around 70%. But some studies have shown we may have a 40% global shortfall in water by as early as 2030. Our public water policy needs to catch up to reality. There is a nexus between food, energy, and water and this lies at the core of our ability to achieve global sustainability.

The fourth session I attended addressed Green Jobs in the Colorado Economy. There was a lively debate on how to define a “green job.” The liveliness was certainly due to the presence of Hunter Lovins from Natural Capitalism Solutions and her outspoken opinions on how we go about creating green jobs in our local economy. She was a staunch supporter of implementing renewable energy with Colorado and convincingly argued that companies who focus on sustainability are more profitable.

The final session of the day that I attended was perhaps the most interesting. Aaron Dignan, CEO of Undercurrent and author of the book Game Frame gave an innovative and groundbreaking talk about “Gamification.” Mr. Dignan posed the question: why do we show increased focus and concentration when playing a video game or filling out an NCAA bracket, but go through the motions and suffer from a lack of motivation in real life? He argues that games offer structure and satisfaction that we don’t get in our real life experiences. If businesses can find ways to create these qualities, employees would be able to focus on their work in much the same way they obsess with Angry Birds or Call of Duty. The result would be a revolution in the way we think about real life and the common tasks that are completely unfulfilling in work or everyday life.

The day ended with good beer, tasty snacks and plenty of opportunities for networking and mingling outside the conference rooms. I’ve certainly come away from this conference more educated on some of our most pressing issues regarding sustainability efforts. And I met plenty of smart, dedicated, and innovative people along the way.

Alvaro Ordonez, Denver Law LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate, Involved in Major Ecuadorian Mining Contract

Undersecretary of State for Ecuador Alvaro Ordonez was involved in negotiating the first large scale mining contract in Ecuador.

Mr. Ordonez, an Ecuadorian attorney, is a 2009 graduate from Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law LLM program.

Wilson Pastor, the Ecuadorian government's Nonrenewable Resources Minister, said, "With this project Ecuador will be the world leader in terms of how much revenue it will be obtaining," Mining.com reported.

The agreement was signed between Ecuacorriente, a Chinese-based firm, and Ecuador.

Don Smith, Director of the Denver Law program, said, "All of us in Denver were thrilled to learn about Alvaro's role in helping his native country establish its first major mining deal. This agreement seems likely to benefit Ecuador and enhance its status as a key location for the production of natural resources."

Lucy Daberkow, Administrative Director of the LLM program, said, "Everyone associated with Denver Law is proud of the accomplishments in which Alvaro is involved. When Alvaro studied in Denver he often talked about his love of his country. Now he is in a position to put what he learned here to work for the benefit of all Ecuadorians."

Denver Law to Host Discussion on State and Municipal Regulation of Oil and Gas Development: Who Sets the Standards in Colorado?

Join the Environmental and Natural Resources Law program at the Sturm College of Law for an opportunity to expand your knowledge of oil and gas regulations.

This exciting opportunity, which is open to the public, is the second of four events sponsored by Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck in conjunction with the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program.

The event takes place on April 12 in Room 165 from 3 to 4:30 PM. There will be a reception afterwards.

Panel members will discuss recent steps taken by cities and counties in Colorado to regulare oil and gas exploration. They will examaine the legal question whether regulation by cities and counties, as contrasted to state regulation of this activity, is wise policy adbn wehther it is permitted by the state's constitiution.

Complimentary parking will be available in Lot L. Two (2) CLE credits have been approved.

Please, join us for an afternoon of education and socialization. However, if you are unable to join us in person, you may participate online via the webinar. If you decide to join us for this event, you will need to RSVP. Follow the links to register for the Live Event and Webinar respectively.

Angelica Oman
Graduate Program Assistant

Three International Mining Law Professionals With Links to Denver Law to Teach in Prestigious Mining Law Program in Lima, Peru

Three individuals associated with Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program will be among the acclaimed faculty presenting at the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation's upcoming Short Course on International Mining Law, to be held in Lima, Peru, in June.

Two mining law practitioners who have taught as adjunct professors at Denver Law -- Luis Carlos Rodrigo of Lima and Paul Schlauch of Denver -- along with Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy LLM graduate and now prominent Chilean mining lawyer Daniel Altikes of Santiago, Chile, will lecture on various subjects related to international mining law.

Don C. Smith, Director of Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program, said, "The caliber of our program at Denver Law can be seen in the fact that three of the leading mining law professionals in the Western Hemisphere, all of whom have connections to DU, are participating in this important mining course in Lima. This speaks volumes about the types of adjunct professors and students our program attracts."

More information about the event can be found by clicking here.

Marilyn Alkire Scholarship Awarded to LLM Student Richard Vaughn

The Marilyn Alkire Scholarship has been awarded to LLM student Richard Vaughn for his demonstrated commitment to the study of environmental and natural resources issues. Mr. Vaughn received his BA in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his JD form the Mississippi College School of Law.

Mr. Vaughn began his LLM studies at Denver Law in the fall of 2011 and expects to complete his studies in May of this year. Mr. Vaughn is a licensed Colorado attorney and upon completion of his LLM studies plans to "begin my goal of protecting the environment in the state that I love more than any other."

The Marilyn Alkire Scholarship was established in 1998 to provide scholarship support to one student in the LLM program per year. The scholarship recipient must exhibit a strong interest in environmental and natural resources law.

Lucy Daberkow, Associate Administrative Director, said of the award, "Recognizing those students whose career goals are to be stewards of the environment and who are committed to their studies is made possible in great part thanks to generous donors like Ms. Alkire."

Denver Law Representatives Attend Vail Global Energy Forum and Learn About Important Energy Trends

DU's Denver Law and Daniels College of Business were well represented during the recent Vail Global Energy Forum held in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

The Vail Valley Foundation, in conjunction with Stanford University's Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE) and Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, (PEEC), hosted the event to address the world’s energy challenges and solutions.

“The VGEF is dedicated to the search for sustainable solutions to one of the most pressing issues of our times – how to produce enough clean, cost-efficient energy from reliable sources to power our global economy while we bridge the transition to breakthrough renewable energy solutions of the future,” said Vail resident, Jay Precourt, who endowed PIE at Stanford University.

The VGEF examined the combined challenges of energy supply, energy security and the impacts of energy use that will shape the energy transitions underway now and in the decades to come.

Gov. John Hickenlooper, George P. Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of Labor and now Distinguished Fellow of Stanford's Hoover Institution, and U.S. Senator Mark Udall of Colorado delivered remarks at the event.

Dr. Dan Arvizu, Director of National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the U.S. Department of Energy — the primary laboratory for the study of energy efficiencies and renewable energy technologies in Golden, CO, encouraged students to consider fields in the energy sector. “The next generation of our workforce should strongly look for energy as a stimulating and rewarding career,” said Dr. Arvizu.

DU students Tyler Geisert, Veronica Morelli, Nadia B. Ahmad, William Saunders, Lindsey Reece, and Andy Reger were awarded scholarships to attend the program.

“The program was an incredible fusion of science, technology, law, and policy,” said Ms.Ahmad. “I was amazed to see the cutting edge work being done in the energy sector. Yet I was most impressed to see policymakers from varying points of view advocating for sustainable development and increased innovation.”

Morelli added, “It was very interesting to learn about the US current efforts to reduce the dependency to oil and transition to natural gas, which responds not only to energy security concerns, but also to the need to supply the country’s energy needs with a cleaner and environmentally friendly fuel”. She added that, “As an international student, it is very interesting to see that many countries of the world are currently conducting efforts to transition to cleaner energies as a response to a common concern: global warming”.

Other speakers included Jeffrey Ball, former Environment Editor of The Wall Street Journal; Tom Petrie, Vice Chairman, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Dr. Ernest Moniz, Director of the Energy Initiative at MIT; Dr. Burton Richter, Nobel Laureate in Physics, Senior Fellow at Stanford; and Dr. Nathan Lewis, Director, Lewis Research Group at Caltech. Additional speakers and panelists included Gregory Ebel, President and CEO of Spectra Energy; Tom Siebel, Founder of Siebel Systems; Bert Valdman, Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Edison International; Dr. Franklin M. Orr, Director, Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford; Dr. James Sweeney, Director, Precourt Energy Efficiency Center at Stanford; Dr. Sally Benson, Director, Global Climate and Energy Project, at Stanford.

"The Vail Global Energy Forum was truly a remarkable opportunity to hear some of the world's most respected energy experts discussing opportunities for global energy innovation, Associate Adminstrative Director for the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate Program Lucy Daberkow remarked.

Photo caption (from left): Lucy Daberkow, Nadia Ahmad, Prof. KK DuVivier.