Denver Law Hosts Second Annual Renewable Energy Law & Policy Summit on October 19, 2012; National Leaders Convene to Discuss the Current State of the Renewable Energy Sector

Denver Law will host the Second Annual Renewable Energy Law & Policy Summit on October 19, 2012, at the Sturm College of Law on the University of Denver campus.

The opening keynote address will be made by former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr, who directs the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University.  The luncheon keynote address will feature Dr. Susan Tierney, Managing Principal at the Analysis Group in Boston.

The program also includes four panels, which will address many of the most important issues being considered today in the renewable energy development community:

• Renewable Energy and the U.S. Military
• The Role the Media Plays in Influencing Renewable Energy Policy
• How are Municipalities Driving the Development of Renewable Energy
• Renewable Portfolio Standards at 10: Where Have we Been?  Where are we Going?

The summit, which will feature many of the nation's renewable energy policy and development leaders, is another example of Denver Law's leadership in the renewable energy sector. Denver Law has the most renewable energy course offerings of any U.S. law school.

Don Smith, director of Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program, said, "It is a great honor for Denver Law to organize this event for the second year.  Denver and Colorado are centers of excellence for renewable energy, and Denver Law takes seriously our role to convene national leaders to discuss this important energy sector.

"We are especially appreciative of our sponsors: Holland and Hart, the presenting and founding sponsor; Welborn Sullivan Meck and Tooley PC, the breakfast and morning keynote address sponsor; and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a supporting sponsor.  Their involvement and support makes this event possible and illustrates the leadership they are providing in the renewable energy sector," Mr. Smith said.

To register for the Renewable Energy Law & Policy Summit, please click here.

International Conference on Biodiversity

The 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro created the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This is one of three historic international agreements created at the Earth Summit. On October 8th more than 2,000 delegates from 150 countries met in Hyderabad, India for the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

All 193 UN member governments have signed and ratified the CBD and are a party to it. The objectives of the CBD "are the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources, including by appropriate access to genetic resources and by appropriate transfer of relevant technologies, taking into account all rights over those resources and to technologies, and by appropriate funding."

The Conference in India is set to discuss progress in the achievement of biodiversity goals as well as problems and challenges faced in the implementation of the CBD. The last conference was held in Nagoya, Japan, two years ago. The main focus rested on reducing the rate of loss of the planet's natural habitats.

The World Wildlife Fund reported that countries have failed to deliver on commitments made in Japan. "Governments can only be serious about these targets if they are prepared to invest in achieving them. We need to see richer countries helping poorer countries and all countries increasing their domestic budgets," Rolf Hogan, biodiversity policy coordinator at the WWF said.

Julia Marton-Lefevre, director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature stated, "We need to keep the momentum going, Biodiversity loss continues and has breached safe planetary boundaries. It's time for a serious check-up on progress we've made to turn the big plan into big action."

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant

The Environmental and Natural Resources Graduate Program will be attending the Idealist Grad Fair at the University of Colorado, Denver next Monday, the 8th from 5-8PM.

Idealist has been hosting Grad School Fairs across the country. These events are free and open to the public. Graduate schools with programs in areas such as public policy, international affairs, global and public health, theology, education, social work, nonprofit management, and environmental science. On Monday, they can add Environmental and Natural Resources Law to their list featured areas.

The event is free, but Idealist is anticipating large crowds. If you are intersted in attending and learning more about our program please RSVP.

Still not sure? Here is a short video of an Idealist Grad Fair.
If you are interested, but do not live in the Denver area, idealist.org/gradfairs can locate a fair in your area.

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant

The Presidential Debate has arrived!

President Obama and Mitt Romney will be meeting for the first of three debates scheduled. Coverage will begin at 7PM today. The debate will be 90 minutes long. DU is proud to host the event on campus. Students names were entered into a raffle and names were drawn for students to attend the event.

The campus has been going through security transformations all week. The entire area is blocked off and shut down including a portion of I25. More than 5,000 people are expected to attend DebateFest. This is a free outdoor event which will air the debate on giant screens. The event will also feature live music, family activities, tabling for organizations and a food truck rally.

“We’ve been told that since it is the first debate of the series, involving a sitting president and taking place at such a critical time for world and national affairs,” observes Chancellor Robert Coombe, “the debate at the University of Denver may be one of the highest-rated television programs in all of 2012, approaching the numbers of the Super Bowl.”

You can watch the debate live on C-SPAN's website.

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant

Graduate Program Directors Don Smith and Lucy Daberkow Welcome new students to Denver Law

Left to right: Annie Oman (MRLS student from US),
Professor Justin Pidot, Lucy Daberkow,
Sergio Sanz (LLM student from Mexico)

Left to right: Iman and Taim (wife and son of MRLS student Ayman from
Saudi Arabia), Lucy Daberkow and daughters,
Victoria Okweze (LLM student from
Nigeria), Isabel and Santi (wife and son of LLM student Matias from Chile)

Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate Program Directors Don Smith and Lucy Daberkow recently hosted a get together for all the new and continuing students in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy program.  Students from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Iraq, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and the US were in attendance.   The students enjoyed an evening of fun and conversation and had the opportunity to interact with several of their professors: Adjunct Prof. Bill Brady, Adjuct Prof. Ken Jones, Prof. Kevin Lynch, Prof. Justin Pidot, and Adjunct Prof. Andy Reid.

Several languages could be heard throughout the evening, reminding us of the wonderful diversity in our program.

"The purpose of these events is to provide an opportunity to make our students feel at home and allow them to connect with other students and professors, many of whom will undoubtedly become lifelong friends.  We are proud of our diversity at Denver Law, and we work each and every day to foster the inclusive links and professional and personal bonds that are the basis of respect and success in our modern world," Ms. Daberkow and Mr. Smith said.

Paula A. Campos Named as Denver Law's 2013 Distinguished Natural Resources Practitioner in Residence; Will Teach Spring 2013 Course

Pamela A. Campos, senior attorney for the Environmental Defense Fund, has been named the Denver Law 2013 Distinguished Natural Resources Practitioner in Residence.  

The announcement was made by Professor Jan Laitos, the John A. Carver Jr. Professor at Denver Law.

The Distinguished Natural Resources Practitioner in Residence Seminar is a "capstone seminar" taught each year by a prominent natural resources or environmental law lawyer who has extensive experience in energy, resources, or environmental law work. The focus of the seminar is on skills training, where the skills taught are those that all lawyers need in order to have a successful career in the practice of law.

At the Environmental Defense Fund Ms. Campos handles litigation, regulatory, and policy matters on climate and air quality issues. She is responsible for cases in U.S. federal courts, the courts of the United Kingdom and the European Union, and state public utility commissions.

Before joining EDF Ms. Campos was deputy legal counsel to former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr.

Francisco Corona, Denver Law LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate and Santiago, Chile, Attorney, Meets With Don Smith

Francisco Corona, a 2003 LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate and attorney in Santiago, Chile, recently met with Don Smith, director of Denver Law's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Graduate Program. 

Mr. Corona is a natural resources law attorney for Carey y Cia, one of the leading law firms in South America. He also serves as an Assistant Professor of Mining Law at the University of Chile School of Law in Santiago.

Mr. Smith said, "It is always a great pleasure, as I travel around the world, to meet with Denver Law LLM graduates. Francisco's practice in Santiago reflects his expertise in the mining field. All of us in Denver wish him much good luck (buena suerte) in his career!"