New Book About Colorado Rivers by Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs Reviewed by DU Professor Tom I. Romero II

A new book about Colorado rivers written by Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs has been described as “…one man’s lifelong journey to understand and come to grips with the wonderful but often inequitable bounty of Colorado’s rivers and its people,” by Tom I. Romero II, an Associate Professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Professor Romero, who teaches Water Law, recently reviewed Living the Four Corners: Colorado, Centennial State at the Headwaters for The Colorado Lawyer (December 2010 pages 59-60), the journal of the Colorado Bar Association.

Justice Hobbs has been a long time friend of the College of Law and the Environmental and Natural Resources Law program in particular. He regularly speaks at the University of Denver Water Law Review Annual Meeting as well as to various water law-related courses.

Professor Romero writes that “Once majestic and unpredictable bodies of water, the headwaters of the Centennial State have become tightly controlled, over-managed cisterns on which every single drop is drained.”

In commenting about Justice Hobbs’ book, Professor Romero says:

“Justice Greg Hobbs reminds us…these rivers continue to inspire awe and wonder, perhaps because of our deep-rooted reliance on the river systems for our economy, politics, and culture—or perhaps because we simultaneously recognize and take for granted each river’s persistence and durability.”

Moreover, Professor Romero suggests that the book is a “teaching text” for all those involved in water issues:

“It shows us how to breathe life into our endeavors; it implores us to suck the marrow out of our shared experiences; and it empowers us to drink liberally from those water that have cut such deep canyons in the history, lives, and culture of Colorado."

Living the Four Corners is published by Continuing Legal Education in Colorado. For information about how to order the book, please click here.

Becky Bye, 2005 JD Graduate, Interviews Former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter for the Denver Bar Association's "The Docket"

Becky Bye, a May 2005 JD graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, recently published an article titled "A Conversation With Attorney (and Governor) Bill Ritter" (pictured left) for The Docket, the publication of the Denver Bar Association.

Among other things, Ms. Bye asked Governor Ritter about his enthusiasim for promoting the "new energy economy," a term that many ascribe to the Governor himself. During his term in office, Governor Ritter was widely credited for promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency through various executive level decisions as well as legislative initiatives.

As reported by Ms. Bye, Governor Ritter said, "I think I had the ability to...say we can produce energy differently, we can consume energy differently. It would be good for our energy portfolio, and it would be good for national security if we found a way to produce energy domestically more than we currently do." To read the full text of Ms. Bye's article, please click here.

Ms. Bye serves as legal counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. She has also worked for Holland & Hart and as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Colorado. In the latter role, Ms. Bye provided legal advice to the Commissioners of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: A Beacon of Equality and Hope for All Americans and Beyond

Today, January 18, is a U.S. national holiday, and fittingly so as the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered.

Through enormous personal courage and leadership, Dr. King worked tirelessly and at great personal risk to take his message of nonviolent opposition to segregation to every corner of America. In recognition of his efforts and passion, Dr. King was awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.

In a 2007 speech, Warren M. Washington, a world renown expert on climate change and senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, located near Denver, reminded all of us of Dr. King's concern "about environmental issues and public health" and noted that these issues have disproportionately harmed minorities and the poorest in the U.S.

The University of Denver is closed in honor of Dr. King.

May Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and inspiration burn brightly for those of us who remember him and for all of those yet to come in America and every country in the world.

Don C. Smith
Director
Environmental and Natural Resources Program

Winter Morning in Colorado: The View From Our Window at the Sturm College of Law

Many mornings in America's Rocky Mountain West are incredibly beautiful. This happens to be one, and we wanted to share it with you.

Every person who comes to Denver is impressed with the majesty of the mountains, which are located just west of the city. In the winter, it is the snow that catches our attention. In the spring and summer is it the green of the pine trees and the red color of the foothills. In the autumn, aspens turn from green to golden. Every season brings new views.

Denver...Colorado...the entire Rocky Mountain Range... A great place to visit, study, and live. If you are thinking about coming to Denver, make plans to visit the law school. We always enjoy telling people about our award winning Environmental and Natural Resources Law program at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law as well as promoting Denver as a great place to live.

(Editor's note: the building in the foreground is the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education.)

Don C. Smith
Director
Environmental and Natural Resources Law

Jonathan Lash, President of the Washington, D.C.-based World Resources Institute, Comments on Environmental and Energy Stories to Watch for in 2011

Jonathan Lash, the President of the Washington, D.C.-based think-tank World Resources Institute, recently offered his observations about the key environmental and energy stories in the coming year. Mr. Lash was interviewed on the E&E TV network. To see the interview, please click here.

Mark Safty, Adjunct Professor of "Renewable Energy Project Development Law," Heads Legal Team That Completes $547 Million Windy Point Project

Mark Safty, who will teach Renewable Energy Project Development Law in the spring 2011 semester at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, headed a legal team from Holland & Hart that recently closed a major wind project development on behalf of the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA).

The $547 million deal, pictured above, is a pre-paid power purchase agreement for power generated at the Goldendale, Washington, Windy Point/Windy Flats Project. This windfarm is one of the largest wind energy projects in the U.S. "The 90 square-mile wind farm spans 26 miles along the Columbia River ridgeline and affords a very high availability of year-around wind energy," according to the SCPPA.

The Windy Point/Windy Flats Project financing is one of the most significant pre-pay power purchase agreement transactions in the U.S.

Mr. Safty, a partner at Holland & Hart, directs the firm's Energy & Infrastructure Group.

"Colorado Water Case of the Century" to be Argued at University of Denver Sturm College of Law January 20, 2011

A case that some experts have described as the "Colorado water case of the century" will be argued at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law on January 20, 2011, from 8.30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

The Burlington Ditch Reservoir & Land Company and Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company case (also known as the FRICO case) will be heard by the Colorado Supreme Court meeting in room 165 at the College of Law. The water rights case involves a determination of the historic consumptive use of the 1885 Burlington direct flow and storage water rights.

Don C. Smith, Director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law program said, "The setting of oral arguments in this important case at the College of Law will provide DU students, faculty, and friends an excellent opportunity to hear this historic case. In one measure of the importance of the case, the Supreme Court has provided for a 90 minute argument rather than its more typical 30 or 45 minutes."

Associate Dean and Professor Fred Cheever said the College of Law was "honored to be hosting the Supreme Court." Dean Cheever noted that most of the state's prominent water lawyers will be at the College of Law to observe the oral arguments.

A second case on the Court's docket is a matter involving legislative intent.

Anyone wishing more information about the Court's session at the College of Law should contact Stefanie Carroll by clicking here.