Students Sponsored to Attend RMMLF Air Quality Issues Affecting Oil, Gas and Mining Development

The ENRGP Program has selected to sponsor four students' admission to the  Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation's special institute on Air Quality Issues Affecting Oil, Gas and Mining Development next week!

The Air Quality Issues special institute will provide attendees with a thorough understanding of current air quality law, policy, science and public perceptions. These issues will be considered in the specific context of oil, gas and mining. The Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation said, "All attendees will leave this conference with the most current information about air quality and energy and with tips and insights that they can actually use in fulfilling their responsibilities."

The four students selected were: Caleb Harrison, Annie Oman, Darracott Osawe (featured here in our blog) and Ty Nagamatsu. Each of these students demonstrated a keen interest in air quality issues and had a clear vision of the benefits they would receive from the conference.

Caleb Harrison, MRLS '13, commented, "Living in Colorado, it has become obvious that there is a need to develop and maintain healthy and appropriate natural resource policies for local communities, the state, and for the nation. I believe the conference would benefit me; the practical aspects of the conference would complement my academic understanding of the pertinent issues."

Congratulations to the winners!

BLM Resource Advisory Council Meetings Held In Golden, CO

The Resource Advisory Council (RAC) meetings were held this past Wednesday to Friday in Golden, CO. These meetings are open to the public and discuss current issues of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in its management of our public lands. The RACs are official federal advisory committees that provide insight and recommendations to the Designated Field Officers. Each RAC is comprised of 15 member, 5 members representing the following areas: commercial interests, environmental groups, and elected officials. This year's meeting included a discussion of healthy landscapes, oil and gas development, the National Landscape Conservation System and other issues.

The first day involved a separate meeting for each of the regional RACs (Northwest, Southwest and Front Range) to meet with the Field Officers. These meetings outline and discuss problems specific to the region. Jim Cagney, Northwest Field Officer commented, "It is nice to get advice from the RAC away from the swirl of emotions." He then went on to discuss contentions raised from various use demands for BLM land. These uses are often in conflict witheach other, such as ATV use and use of the land for shooting.

The second day included panel discussions on various topics relevant to all regions. The first panel discussed Maintaining Healthy Landscapes with speakers from the US Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. The next three panels focused on Understanding Oil and Gas Development, Engaging Youth and Veterans in Public Lands and National Landscape Conservation Implementation Strategy. After the panels, the Field Officers and the RAC members broke out into brainstorming groups.

The final day was dedicated to Emilyn Sheffield, Professor of Recreation and Parks Management from California State University, Chico. She highlighted the changing demographics of the United States. She referenced 2010 Census information and Colorado SCORP statistics in her presentation: 55% of Americans are so by choice and 45% of those under the age of five are ethnically diverse. Professor Sheffield encouraged the BLM to change the way in which it interacts with the public and strive to involve a greater variety of stakeholders. She concluded her presentation by saying, "Our current college generation is the best resource of the future. They are an amazing generation and will take us where we've only talked."

It is clear that the BLM faces a variety of issues and decisions regarding demands and uses of its resources. The RAC meetings serve to create new ideas and facilitate a broader understanding of these issues. Other topics of importance were drought management and the implications of dust storms coming into Colorado from Utah. For more information, visit the BLM Resource website.

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant

Diego Parravicini, 2008 LLM Graduate

Diego Parravicini pictured 
during graduation in 2008

Diego Parravicini, 2008 LLM Graduate from the DU College of Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program and a Senior Attorney [here’s link to his URL] with Estudio Beccar Varela in Buenos Aires, has just published a paper “Sustainability and CSR in Argentina: An Analysis Within Argentine Company Law.”  It can be accessed by clicking here.

Mr. Parravicini, whose paper was published by the prestigious University of Oslo Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper Series, writes, “The beginning of the 1990s in Argentina marked a starting point for a new trend in sustainability, which led to the enactment of stringent environmental regulations and the incorporation of environmental concerns into the National and provincial Constitutions.  However, the scope of this reform concerning sustainability did not extend to Argentine company law.  To date, Argentine company law does not provide for any specific and/or direct requirements in connection with sustainability…The present paper will not only provide an analysis of the barriers identified by such scholars, but also propose ways in which sustainability could be promoted through Argentine company law.”

President Obama Nominates New Interior Department Secretary, Sally Jewell

On February 6th, President Obama named REI CEO, Sally Jewell to take the position. Ms. Jewell worked for Mobil Oil after obtaining a degree in mechanical engineering. She then led Washington Mutual commercial banking division for 19 years. She took over as CEO of REI in 2005; the company now makes $2 billion in sales per year.

President Obama’s selection of Ms. Jewell drew mostly positive responses. Environmental groups and conservation advocates are pleased to see a nature enthusiast nominated for the Department of Interior position. (It is reported that Ms. Jewell went on a month long hike in Antarctica.) Oil and gas industry representatives were pleased to see that her history included resource development.

However, there was some reluctance to her nomination. Senator Murkowski of Alaska, the senior Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee commented on Ms. Jewell’s lack of a political career, stating, "I look forward to hearing about the qualifications Ms. Jewell has that make her a suitable candidate to run such an important agency." There is an air of mystery as to the direction she will take the department which causes concern. Also, one House Republican subcommittee chairman shared concerns about Ms. Jewell’s link to REI and their “radical political agendas.” REI has supported groups such as the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and has promoted a bill intended to add wilderness protections to millions of acres of land in Utah.

President Obama said, “She knows the link between conservation and good jobs. She knows that there’s no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress, that, in fact, those two things need to go hand in hand.” NRDC President Frances Beinecke stated, "Sally Jewell has the mind of an engineer, the heart of an environmentalist and the know-how of a businesswoman,” Salazar will step down in March and Ms. Jewell will begin her work as Secretary of the Department of Interior.

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant

Program Alumni to assist in growing Land and Natural Resource Development Practice Group in the West at Jackson Kelly PLLC

Susan V. Anderson, graduate of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program, recently joined Jackson Kelly’s Denver office.  She was hired along with three others to grow the firms’ existing Land and Natural Resource Development Practice Group, focusing on Rocky Mountain oil & gas concerns and hard rock mining matters.  Jackson Kelly is a 190-year old law firm ranked Tier One nationally for natural resources law.  The Denver office of JK’s Land and Natural Resource Development practice group serves clients with the full range of services for environmental, hard rock and coal mining, and oil & gas legal needs.  The Firm draws from the experience and breadth of its 200+ lawyers to provide full litigation and transactional support to all facets of the national natural resources practice.

After several years of practice on the east coast, Ms. Anderson decided to follow her career dream to pursue natural resources law in the west.  She knew breaking into such a challenging and competitive field would be difficult.  She sought the counsel of a professor she worked with at American University, who suggested she look into the LL.M. program at DU.  She decided to complete another year of course work, focused on an area of law she was passionate about.  This opportunity afforded her the chance to write and research on topics highly relevant to natural resources issues in the Rocky Mountain states, including a petition to list the Arkansas River Speckled Chub (Macrhybopsis Tetranema) under the Endangered Species Act, construct a case study of land use and conservation easements in the San Luis Valley, and prepare a case study of the San Luis Valley-Calumet-Comanche Transmission Line Project.  She served as a research assistant and updated chapters that appear in Jan Laitos’s Natural Resources Law hornbook and in the Teacher’s Manual for a Toxic Torts Casebook.   Additionally, through the externship program, Ms. Anderson clerked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, where she gained valuable experience conducting research and drafting legal memoranda on a variety of federal environmental statutes, focusing on issues associated with CERCLA liability, CWA definitional issues, and RCRA exemptions.   She completed her Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 2011, focusing on oil & gas, land use, federal wildlife, renewable energy and natural resources law.

Ms. Anderson is a 2002 Dean’s List graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she participated in the Honors Study Abroad Program in London, England.  She received her Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law in 2006 where she was a Dean's Fellow, received nationally-ranked clinical training, and studied abroad in Santiago, Chile.

  

Congratulations to the Spring 2013 Scholarship Winners!

The Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program at the University of Denver College of Law has just awarded two of its most prestigious scholarships.

Khulan Amarsana has been awarded the Marilyn Alkire Scholarship. Amarsana graduated from Mongolian National University School of Law with a Bachelors Degree in International Law. She joined the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program this Spring. 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.Amarsana stated, "I am very thankful for Ms. Alkire for her generous heart. After completing the program, I want to take everything I learn here, and return to my home country to reduce the pollution of our pristine land."

Teresa Abel has been awarded the Colonel Jan Laitos Scholarship. Abel graduated from the University of Georgia, Athens with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008. She then applied to DU Law in the Fall of 2011. Abel joined the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program this semester under the dual JD-LLM degree option. The Colonel Laitos Scholarship is awarded annually to an ENRGP student who demonstrates academic achievement and laudable environmental and natural reources career goals. Abel shared, "Receipt of this scholarship has strengthened my goals of one day being able to give back to the DU community.The support and recognition provided by my donors has been instrumental in allowing me to pursue my interest in sustainable land development."

Don C. Smith, director of the ENRGP Program said, "Ms. Abel and Ms. Amarsana have earned two of our program's most sought-after scholarships, and I am delighted for both of them. Each brings a level of commitment and a desire to learn about environmental and natural reosurces issues that will serve her well over a career. I would also like to recognize Marilyn Alkire and the Laitos family for their on-going support of the ENRGP. Ms. Abel and Ms. Amarsana join a long line of former students who won the same awards and are now making significant contributions the world over."

 

Roger Maier Boing, LLM December 2012

Roger Maier Boing is now back in his home country Brazil, after graduating with an LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy in December of 2012. 

Roger has been involved with Natural Resources Law in Brazil since 2004, and after several years practicing decided that it was time to invest again in his education. In the beginning of 2012, Roger started our LL.M. program in Environmental  and Natural Resources Law and Policy, which, as per his own words, helped him to grow professionally.

During the years of 2011 and 2012 Roger has concluded (i) our LL.M. in Environmental and  Natural Resources Law and Policy with specializations in Energy (focused in oil and gas) and Mining Law and Policy; (ii) intensive German courses in Freiburg and Düsseldorf; and (iii) a course of Introduction to German Law and Legal Terminology in the Hochschule Bremen (University of Applied Sciences of Bremen).

Since January 3, 2013, after concluding the LL.M. at DU, he returned to his previous law firm, L.O. Baptista - Schmidt, Valois, Miranda, Ferreira and Agel Advogados, which is one of the top law firms in Brazil and is highly ranked among the best when it comes to Natural Resources Law.
 
When asked about DU, Roger says: “The knowledge acquired during almost 1 year and 4 months served to expand my expertise in natural resources and infrastructure, specially with all I experienced at DU. All this will allow me to render higher quality services to clients of L.O. Baptista - Schmidt, Valois, Miranda, Ferreira & Agel.”

Besides the LL.M. degree from DU, Roger also holds a post-graduation degree in Oil and Gas from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

As soon as he got back to Brazil he took office as the President of the Oil and Gas Commission from the Rio de Janeiro Bar Association, Barra da Tijuca, for the next 3 years. Roger is also a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators – AIPN and the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation – RMMLF.