Colorado Counties Declared a Disaster Area by the USDA

Drought Conditions in Colorado,
1/16/14 US Drought Monitor

On Wednesday of this week, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) listed counties in 11 states as primary natural disaster areas due to extreme drought. The majority of states affected by the drought are located in the west, with a few exceptions (Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Hawaii). The western states listed as disaster include: Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Idaho, and California.

Farmers in these states have been struggling to sustain crop yields which puts them at financial risk. The listing ensures that eligible farmers can apply for low-interest, emergency loans from the USDA. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack shared in a statement, "[The] USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood." The USDA wants to guarantee that farming and agriculture remain an economic force in the U.S.

The past few weeks have seen record storm and snow falls for the east coast. However, a ridge of high pressure has been preventing storms from reaching the Pacific coast and providing them with needed moisture. These weather patterns are causing the droughts to persist and intensify, the U.S. Drought Monitor explains.

Poor snowpack is threatening states dependent on major rivers in the west. The dry conditions could also lead to an active fire season.

For more information, visit the USDA Drought and Disaster Assistance website.

Rayme Ortega, MRLS 2008, Discusses Her Current Work

Rayme Ortega (formerly Maldonado) graduated from the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program in 2008 with her Master of Resources Law Studies (MRLS) degree.

Rayme stated, "The MRLS degree I earned from DU gave me the advantage of entering the job force with working knowledge of the legal system. The program helped familiarize me with many different natural resource and environmental laws and laid the ground work for which I am able to interact with entities from other agencies with confidence."

She recently began working for the U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection (CBP) agency as an Agriculture Specialist. The CBP detects and prevents terrorists from entering the United States and is responsible for enforcing laws relevant to boarder crossing, and facilitates the efficient flow of legitimate trade and travel.

Rayme described her position at the CBP: 
 "As an Agriculture Specialist I am trained to serve as an expert and technical consultant in the areas of inspection, intelligence, analysis, examination and law enforcement activities related to the importation of agricultural/commercial commodities and conveyances at the various ports of entry. 

I apply a wide range of federal, state and local laws and agency regulations when determining the admissibility of agriculture commodities while preventing the introduction of harmful pests, diseases and potential agro-terrorism into the United States." 

Rayme shared her compliments of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program, "I am most thankful for the degree I earned from The Sturm College of Law and would recommend it to anyone trying to get an edge on the competition."

Congratulations to Rayme! We wish her continued success in her position with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

Spring Semester Officially Starts on Monday

Sturm College of Law Building
Photo Courtesy of Great Degree

Fall semester's final exam period ended on December 17th of 2013. Providing students in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program with the last three weeks to relax, visit with family and friends and reclaim hobbies lost during finals.

Students are preparing themselves for another semester, which begins Monday. This will be the final semester for many of our students. They are excited to be taking their final few courses and to see their degree within reach. We wish them the best in their final semester and hope that they will take advantage of opportunities to connect with their classmates and attend many of the great conferences taking place this spring.

A new group of students is also joining the program on Monday. The new students participated in orientation yesterday. During their orientation, they were able to meet many of the faculty and staff who will assist them through their graduate education. We hope these students are excited to begin a new chapter in Denver and that they take the time to get to know the wonderful people of the College of Law.

Have a wonderful spring semester!

Renewable Energy Soared in 2013, Creates Benefits in 2014

Photo of a Vestas Wind Turbine
Courtesy Creative Commons

Renewable energy hailed 2013 as an incredibly successful year. Public approval of clean energy has realized an increase across the board. In addition, sales and jobs in the renewable energy sector also experienced a boost.

On December 23rd, Vestas Wind Systems announced an order for wind turbines which made 2013 the manufacturer's second best year for sales in North America. Vestas announced 1,693 megawatts worth of turbine orders in the US and Canada, compare that number to the 252 megawatts worth of orders in 2012. (The wind energy sector suffered in 2012 due to concerns regarding the expiration of the Production Tax Credit.)

Vestas has four Colorado factories, which contributes to our state's employment opportunities and increase our capacity for clean energy. The factories in Colorado manufacture blades, nacelles and towers required to complete the orders. Vestas has said it plans to hire hundreds of workers in 2014 to fill jobs in its Windsor and Brighton locations.

The increase in capacity and jobs is surely related to the increase approval of renewable energy. Navigant Research, a Boulder based "market research and consulting team that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets," recently issued a report on the subject. Navigant surveyed over 1,000 US adults for its annual "Energy and Environment Consumer Survey: Consumer Attitudes and Awareness toward 10 Clean Energy Concepts"

The report highlights that American's views of renewable energy had increased in 2013 from the year previous. Average support for all ten clean energy concepts rose to 51%, an increase from 44% in 2012. The most popular clean energy concept was solar energy, with an approval rating of 79%. Wind energy came in close second.

These reports make it very clear that renewable energy is a growing industry. There is a need for people to fill the jobs created and to study the laws and regulations affecting the manufacture of parts as well as the production of energy.

If you are excited about this growing area, take a look at our exciting renewable energy law course offerings and consider applying to the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program today!

Proud Parents Travel from China to See Daughter Graduate With LLM Degree

From left Jiaxi Wang's mother, Don Smith,
Lucy Daberkow, Ms. Wang's father, Ms. Wang

The December graduation for students from Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate Program was a proud occasion for many graduating students and none more than Jiaxi Wang.  Ms. Wang is from Chengde, China, which is located near Beijing.

Ms. Wang's parents traveled from Chengde to Denver to watch their daughter graduate with a Master's in Law degree.

Don Smith, director of the program, said, "Graduation day is always a proud moment in the lives of our students and their families.  And we are especially proud of international students, such as Jiaxi, who add such richness and diversity to our program.  Jiaxi was a student of mine and I got to know her well.  She will make major contributions to protecting our world's environment, especially in the development of more renewable energy.  All of us at Denver Law will watch her career develop with much admiration and pride."

MRLS Alumna Discusses Her Work with United Nations

Ambika Chawla

Ambika Chawla  graduated from the MRLS Program in December 2012 and currently works as the “Cities and Climate Change Specialist” for the United Nations in Vietnam. She recently told us about her current responsibilities.

"In terms of the scope of my work, I conduct research and writing to develop arguments for why Vietnam must introduce a comprehensive national urban and climate policy which encompasses strategies for both greenhouse gas emissions mitigation and climate change adaptation. 


I just completed writing the UN’s official policy paper on cities and climate change for Vietnam. In addition, I am co-author of the UN’s Green Growth City Development Strategy (GG-CDS) for Da Nang City (Vietnam’s fourth largest city). The GG-CDS aims for Da Nang City to become the first “ecological city” in Vietnam and in the Asia-Pacific Region. 

There are many ways in which the MRLS Program prepared me for this position. For one, I often have to give presentations about my work at UN Conferences and Seminars. The public speaking skills that I learned in the MRLS course have prepared me to take on these challenging public speaking assignments. 

I have to review the environmental enforcement and compliance policies of cities in Vietnam. In addition, I have to analyze Vietnam’s climate change policies, as well as international climate change policies. I have no doubt that the environmental law courses that I took in the MRLS course prepared me for this exciting and challenging position. 

I really love my work! My colleagues are from all parts of the world and I am constantly challenged and learning from my talented and dedicated co-workers. More importantly, I have no doubt that my work will contribute towards making this world a more socially just and environmentally sustainable place."

We are proud to count Ambika as one of our graduates and wish her continued success in her sustainability and climate change projects with the United Nations.