President Obama Nominates New Interior Department Secretary, Sally Jewell

On February 6th, President Obama named REI CEO, Sally Jewell to take the position. Ms. Jewell worked for Mobil Oil after obtaining a degree in mechanical engineering. She then led Washington Mutual commercial banking division for 19 years. She took over as CEO of REI in 2005; the company now makes $2 billion in sales per year.

President Obama’s selection of Ms. Jewell drew mostly positive responses. Environmental groups and conservation advocates are pleased to see a nature enthusiast nominated for the Department of Interior position. (It is reported that Ms. Jewell went on a month long hike in Antarctica.) Oil and gas industry representatives were pleased to see that her history included resource development.

However, there was some reluctance to her nomination. Senator Murkowski of Alaska, the senior Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee commented on Ms. Jewell’s lack of a political career, stating, "I look forward to hearing about the qualifications Ms. Jewell has that make her a suitable candidate to run such an important agency." There is an air of mystery as to the direction she will take the department which causes concern. Also, one House Republican subcommittee chairman shared concerns about Ms. Jewell’s link to REI and their “radical political agendas.” REI has supported groups such as the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and has promoted a bill intended to add wilderness protections to millions of acres of land in Utah.

President Obama said, “She knows the link between conservation and good jobs. She knows that there’s no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress, that, in fact, those two things need to go hand in hand.” NRDC President Frances Beinecke stated, "Sally Jewell has the mind of an engineer, the heart of an environmentalist and the know-how of a businesswoman,” Salazar will step down in March and Ms. Jewell will begin her work as Secretary of the Department of Interior.

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant

Program Alumni to assist in growing Land and Natural Resource Development Practice Group in the West at Jackson Kelly PLLC

Susan V. Anderson, graduate of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program, recently joined Jackson Kelly’s Denver office.  She was hired along with three others to grow the firms’ existing Land and Natural Resource Development Practice Group, focusing on Rocky Mountain oil & gas concerns and hard rock mining matters.  Jackson Kelly is a 190-year old law firm ranked Tier One nationally for natural resources law.  The Denver office of JK’s Land and Natural Resource Development practice group serves clients with the full range of services for environmental, hard rock and coal mining, and oil & gas legal needs.  The Firm draws from the experience and breadth of its 200+ lawyers to provide full litigation and transactional support to all facets of the national natural resources practice.

After several years of practice on the east coast, Ms. Anderson decided to follow her career dream to pursue natural resources law in the west.  She knew breaking into such a challenging and competitive field would be difficult.  She sought the counsel of a professor she worked with at American University, who suggested she look into the LL.M. program at DU.  She decided to complete another year of course work, focused on an area of law she was passionate about.  This opportunity afforded her the chance to write and research on topics highly relevant to natural resources issues in the Rocky Mountain states, including a petition to list the Arkansas River Speckled Chub (Macrhybopsis Tetranema) under the Endangered Species Act, construct a case study of land use and conservation easements in the San Luis Valley, and prepare a case study of the San Luis Valley-Calumet-Comanche Transmission Line Project.  She served as a research assistant and updated chapters that appear in Jan Laitos’s Natural Resources Law hornbook and in the Teacher’s Manual for a Toxic Torts Casebook.   Additionally, through the externship program, Ms. Anderson clerked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, where she gained valuable experience conducting research and drafting legal memoranda on a variety of federal environmental statutes, focusing on issues associated with CERCLA liability, CWA definitional issues, and RCRA exemptions.   She completed her Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 2011, focusing on oil & gas, land use, federal wildlife, renewable energy and natural resources law.

Ms. Anderson is a 2002 Dean’s List graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she participated in the Honors Study Abroad Program in London, England.  She received her Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law in 2006 where she was a Dean's Fellow, received nationally-ranked clinical training, and studied abroad in Santiago, Chile.

  

Congratulations to the Spring 2013 Scholarship Winners!

The Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program at the University of Denver College of Law has just awarded two of its most prestigious scholarships.

Khulan Amarsana has been awarded the Marilyn Alkire Scholarship. Amarsana graduated from Mongolian National University School of Law with a Bachelors Degree in International Law. She joined the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program this Spring. 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.Amarsana stated, "I am very thankful for Ms. Alkire for her generous heart. After completing the program, I want to take everything I learn here, and return to my home country to reduce the pollution of our pristine land."

Teresa Abel has been awarded the Colonel Jan Laitos Scholarship. Abel graduated from the University of Georgia, Athens with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008. She then applied to DU Law in the Fall of 2011. Abel joined the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program this semester under the dual JD-LLM degree option. The Colonel Laitos Scholarship is awarded annually to an ENRGP student who demonstrates academic achievement and laudable environmental and natural reources career goals. Abel shared, "Receipt of this scholarship has strengthened my goals of one day being able to give back to the DU community.The support and recognition provided by my donors has been instrumental in allowing me to pursue my interest in sustainable land development."

Don C. Smith, director of the ENRGP Program said, "Ms. Abel and Ms. Amarsana have earned two of our program's most sought-after scholarships, and I am delighted for both of them. Each brings a level of commitment and a desire to learn about environmental and natural reosurces issues that will serve her well over a career. I would also like to recognize Marilyn Alkire and the Laitos family for their on-going support of the ENRGP. Ms. Abel and Ms. Amarsana join a long line of former students who won the same awards and are now making significant contributions the world over."

 

Roger Maier Boing, LLM December 2012

Roger Maier Boing is now back in his home country Brazil, after graduating with an LLM in Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy in December of 2012. 

Roger has been involved with Natural Resources Law in Brazil since 2004, and after several years practicing decided that it was time to invest again in his education. In the beginning of 2012, Roger started our LL.M. program in Environmental  and Natural Resources Law and Policy, which, as per his own words, helped him to grow professionally.

During the years of 2011 and 2012 Roger has concluded (i) our LL.M. in Environmental and  Natural Resources Law and Policy with specializations in Energy (focused in oil and gas) and Mining Law and Policy; (ii) intensive German courses in Freiburg and Düsseldorf; and (iii) a course of Introduction to German Law and Legal Terminology in the Hochschule Bremen (University of Applied Sciences of Bremen).

Since January 3, 2013, after concluding the LL.M. at DU, he returned to his previous law firm, L.O. Baptista - Schmidt, Valois, Miranda, Ferreira and Agel Advogados, which is one of the top law firms in Brazil and is highly ranked among the best when it comes to Natural Resources Law.
 
When asked about DU, Roger says: “The knowledge acquired during almost 1 year and 4 months served to expand my expertise in natural resources and infrastructure, specially with all I experienced at DU. All this will allow me to render higher quality services to clients of L.O. Baptista - Schmidt, Valois, Miranda, Ferreira & Agel.”

Besides the LL.M. degree from DU, Roger also holds a post-graduation degree in Oil and Gas from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

As soon as he got back to Brazil he took office as the President of the Oil and Gas Commission from the Rio de Janeiro Bar Association, Barra da Tijuca, for the next 3 years. Roger is also a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators – AIPN and the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation – RMMLF.

2013 Carver Colloquium: Local Regulation of Oil and Gas Development

The Carver Colloquium is an annual event hosted by the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute and presented in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The event took place at DU Law last night (Thursday, January 24th).

The Carver Colloquium focuses on presenting alternative viewpoints on cutting-edge issues in land use, environmental and natural resources law fields.

The 2013 Carver Colloquium debated the issues involved with Local Regulation of Oil and Gas Production. Professor Jan Laitos, the John A. Carver, Jr. Chair and host introduced the event with the question: “Who should have authority over oil and gas development on private land?”

UCLA Professor Robert Freilich and Dan Domenico were featured as event speakers. Professor Freilich is considered to be one of the nation’s leading experts on planning, development, zoning and land use. He argued in favor of local regulation of oil and gas development. Dan Domenico is the Colorado Solicitor General, former Department of Interior employee and adjunct professor. Dan Domenico spoke for state regulation through authorities such as the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. He made sure to note that he was not speaking on behalf of any entity or person.

The debate focused on issues of preemption and then spent time discussing the associated benefits and difficulties with each level of regulation. Professor Freilich spoke about the ability of local government to take a more holistic approach to regulating oil and gas development. He cited infrastructure issues such as extreme wear and tear on the roads, schools, health and police services created by oil and gas development. He pointed to North Dakota as an example of that fact. Dan Domenico focused on the ease of operations associated with state regulation. He expressed concern that the oil and gas industry would move their businesses elsewhere if confronted with a patchwork system of regulation.

It is clear from the debate that there are valid arguments on both sides of the issue and that it is far from being decided. Stay tuned for information about the next Carver Colloquium!

Angelica Oman

Gradutate Program Assistant

President Obama Prioritizes Climate Change for Second Term

In President Barack Obama's inaugural speech on Monday, January 21st, he outlined priorities for his second term. Most notable of President Obama’s policy pledges, was his commitment to climate change and sustainable energy:

“We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms.

The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. That’s how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure — our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.”

This commitment to clean energy will certainly encourage students and graduates of our Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy program and reaffirm their career paths.

Our program has a tradition of preparing students for future careers in sustainability and renewable energy.  In fact, we are one of the few programs in the nation to offer a class on Global Climate Change. Additionally, students can enroll in a variety of courses on Renewable Energy, Energy, and Sustainable Development of Natural Resources.

DU Law has also partnered with the National Renewable Energy Lab to promote learning and education. The Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute also works toward this end and has created this quick guide to climate change. 

If you are interested in pursuing a career in this area, contact us about our degree options! 

Department of the Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar to Step Down

Ken Salazar has served as Secretary of the Department of Interior for four years. In those four years, he has shifted the Department from its traditional focus on resource use (i.e. mining, forestry, and oil and gas development) to a new focus on renewable energy. During his tenure, Salazar established 7 new national parks, 10 new wildlife refuges and blocked uranium mining around the Grand Canyon with a million acre buffer zone.

President Obama said in a press statement, "In his work to promote renewable energy projects on our public land and increase the development of oil and gas production, Ken has ensured that the department's decisions are driven by the best science and promote the highest safety standards." The President added that Salazar had accomplished all this and protected our public lands, water and wildlife.

Salazar is a fifth-generation Mexican-American who often spoke of his family ranch near the New Mexico border. In a statement announcing his departure, Salazar stated "Colorado is and will always be my home."

Salazar's departure coincides with the departure of Lisa P. Jackson, the Administrator of the EPA and the anticipated departure of Steven Chu, the Energy Secretary. These departures will leave climate change and energy posts vacant causing many to wonder about the future direction of US energy policy.

Angelica Oman

Graduate Program Assistant