Denver Law Environmental & Natural Resources Law "Team" Awarded Grant to Study the International Use of Hydraulic Fracturing

A team of Denver Law Environmental & Natural Resources Law-affiliated individuals has won a grant from the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation to produce a new report, "Hydraulic Fracturing Around the World: A Comparative Analysis of Development, Regulation, and Deployment."

The report, which will be a "first of its kind," is scheduled for publication in the summer of 2015.  It will provide an accessible, authoritative, and comparative examination of what is taking place in terms of hydraulic fracturing around the world.  The team will study a number of countries including Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Russia, South Africa, and the United States. It will also analyze developments in the European Union and in particular several specific member states including France, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

Team members are:

• Karina Condra, JD, Masters of Library Science; Comparative, Foreign and International Law Librarian.  Ms. Condra is an expert in researching foreign legal systems and is expected to consult Denver Law’s substantial collection of legal and regulatory databases.   She is also familiar with the oil and gas industry, having practiced law in this field several years ago.
• Jessica M. Richards, JD, Masters of Resource Law Studies; Leases & Supervisor, Land Administration, Jonah Energy LLC. She also teaches two courses as an Adjunct Professor at Denver Law: “Oil & Gas Agreements” and “Contemporary Issues in Oil & Gas Development.”
• Don C. Smith, JD, LLM in European Union Law, Director of the Environmental & Natural Resources Law Program.  Professor Smith, who teaches full-time at Denver Law, oversees the Environmental & Natural Resources Program, which includes JD, LLM, and Master’s students, and has written extensively about environmental and energy issues. 
• RJ Colwell, JD candidate 2015, research assistant to Don Smith.  He was awarded a 2014 scholarship by the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators to attend its spring 2014 conference.

 

Nadia B. Ahmad, Denver Law LLM in Environmental & Natural Resources Law Graduate, Named Visiting Assistant Professor at Pace Law School

Nadia B. Ahmad, Denver Law Environmental & Natural Resources Law LLM graduate, will assume a Visiting Assistant Professor position at Pace Law School beginning in August.  Professor Ahmad's research explores the intersections of energy law and the environment and draws on international investment law, energy justice, corporate best practices and corporate social responsibility. 

Don Smith, Director of Denver Law's Environmental & Natural Resources Law program, said, "Professor Ahmad is one of the most exceptional individuals I have ever met.  She is passionate about her work and committed to exploring new ways to improve our world.  Her background as a practitioner, an employee at one of the country's most prominent oil and gas companies, and a keen observer of the world are the perfect foundation for what will be an exceptional career in teaching about the law."

Professor Jason Czarnezki, Executive Director of Environmental Law Programs at Pace, said, "We're very excited to bring Nadia to our team."

Professor Ahmad said, "I was able to place and publish every paper I wrote as a student at DU, which speaks to the strength of the program, professors, and my peers. Denver is a remarkable place to learn and study about the new energy frontier."

Among her publications include:

• Billionaires, Birds, and Brawls: Reconceptualizing Energy Easements for Eco-Efficiency, University of Hawai’i Law Review (forthcoming 2015). 
• The International Sugar Trade and Sustainable Development: Curtailing the Sugar Rush, North Carolina Journal of International Law & Commercial Regulation (2014).
• A National Mineral Policy as an International Investment Law Stratagem: The Case of Tajikistan’s Gold Reserves, Pacific McGeorge Business & Development Law Journal (2014).   
• “Turn on the Lights” – Sustainable Energy Investment and Regulatory Policy: Charting the Hydrokinetic Path in Pakistan, Washington & Lee Journal of Energy, Climate and the Environment (2013).  
• The Tropics Exploited: Risk Preparedness and Corporate Social Responsibility in Offshore Energy Development, Texas A&M Law Review (2013).  
• Gauging the Gender Divide in the Middle East’s Educational System: Causes, Concerns, and the Impetus for Change, Journal of Religion & Society (2013). 
• Missouri Oil & Gas Update, Texas Wesleyan Law Review (2013). 
• High Speed Public Policy for Algae-Based Biofuel as a Viable Energy Alternative: Improving Florida-China Relations through Sustainable Collaboration, International Law Quarterly (2012).