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.

Denver Law Environmental Program Director Don Smith Presents Lecture at Metro State College of Denver

Don Smith, Denver Law Lecturer and Director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law (ENRL) program, recently presented a lecture comparing the legal systems of the European Union and United States at Metro State College of Denver.

Professor Susana Vela, who teaches American Government at Metro State, kindly extended the invitation to Professor Smith as part of her curriculum on comparative legal systems.

Professor Smith said, "There are three major economic powers in today's world: China, the EU, and the US. Understanding how the EU works can be useful in many ways to students who study about the US." In particular, he said the EU system of governance provides students a "unique and innovative model" by which to judge other governance systems.

The EU is the successor to the European Economic Community, which was founded in 1957. The EU governs most European issues related to matters such as trade in goods and services, free movement of people, and environmental issues. The EU has 27 members, which are located in western and central Europe.

ENRL Associate Administrative Director Lucy Daberkow was a special guest as well. "Strenghtening the ties between Metro State and Denver Law is a key element in our efforts to recruit top-notch candidates locally," Ms. Daberkow said. "We look forward to a continued collaboration with our colleagues at Metro State College."

Mr. Smith said, "I greatly appreciated Professor Vela's offer to speak to her class. I hope this is the first of many cooperative ventures between Denver Law and Metro State."

Editor's note: Photos (from top): Lucy Daberkow, Don Smith, Susana Vela; Don Smith; Susana Vela, Don Smith.

Denver Law Environmental Moot Court Team Finishes Tied for Second in National Competition

The Denver Law National Environmental Moot Court Team excelled at the 24th annual competition held at Pace University in New York.

Out of a 77 team field, the DU team, comprised of Jenni Barnes, Jill Kysor, and Justine Shepherd, and coached by Professor Kevin Lynch, advanced to the final round and finished tied for second overall.

Moreover, Ms. Kysor and Ms. Shepherd each were recognized as the “best oralist” in one of the three preliminary rounds.

Professor Lynch said, “Our team put in a lot of long hours preparing for this competition, but all that hard work paid off. Not only did they represent DU admirably, but they also had a lot of fun at the competition. I was very proud to be there with them.”

Editor's note: In the photo from left to right Professor Lynch, Jill Kysor, Justine Shepherd, and Jenni Barnes.

Victory Against Logging

Professor Michael Harris, Director of the Environmental Law Clinic, said that stopping a permitted timber project in Colorado is extremely rare. However, his third-year law students, Mason Brown and Justine Shepherd, won that rare victory against the timber industry.

The pair argued against the U.S. Forest Services’ permit to allow 3,400 acres of logging on environmentally fragile lands in the Rio Grande National Forest. In the past decades, the area was previously damaged by logging and is now suffering from beetle infestation. Also, the permits would have allowed for the construction of 11 miles of roads throughout the forested area.

In 2009, the case originated when the forest service approved the sale of the land for logging purposes. Colorado Wild, a non-profit organization now called Rocky Mountain Wild, sought the help of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law Environmental Law Clinic. On behalf of Colorado Wild and WildEarth Guardians, former students, Jacob Schlesinger and Ashley Wilmes who have recently graduated and worked under the direction of Professor Michael Harris, prepared and filed the suit in Denver’s federal court. In November 2011, U.S. District Judge William Martinez requested oral arguments in an administrative procedure.

On February 9th, 2012, U.S. District Judge WIlliam Martinez ruled that the U.S. Forest Service had violated the National Forest Management Act and that an Environmental Assessment was inadequate. The ruling overturns issued permits for the Handkerchief Mesa area, near Alamosa in the southwestern corner of the state.