Law Commons^™

International Law In A Time Of Scarcity, Ertharin Cousin, Rebecca H. White, C. Donald Johnson, Lincoln Davies, José Cuesta, Barbara Deutsch Lynch, Harlan G. Cohen, Gabriel Eckstein, Lillian Aponte Miranda, Kristen E. Boon, Peter A. Appel, Anastasia Telesetsky, Aparna Polavarapu, Felix Mormann, Diane Marie Amann, Katie Croghan

Gabriel Eckstein

On February 5th, 2013 the Dean Rusk Center and the Georgia Journal for International and Comparative Law hosted a daylong conference on “International Law in a Time of Scarcity.” The scarcity of resources, whether food, water, fuel sources, or clean air, may be a defining reality for global policy in the years to come. By bringing together leading policy makers and legal scholars, conference organizers created a forum to serve as a foundation for future scholarship on the role of international law in scarcity issues. The keynote speaker was Ertharin Cousin, United Nations World Food Programme executive director and 1982 …

Green Harms Of Green Projects, John C. Nagle

John Copeland Nagle

This article describes the recent development of renewable energy to examine environmental law’s three contrasting approaches to the green harms of green projects. Sometimes the law allows the green benefit regardless of the green harm. Sometimes the law prohibits the green harm regardless of the green benefit. And sometimes the law allows a balancing of all of the harms and benefits, green or not. Given these options, I argue that the law should not ignore or understate green harms even if they are caused by green projects. There are some types of green harms that no benefit can justify. But …

Oil & Gas Pooling, Gina Warren

Gina Warren

No abstract provided.

Oil And Gas Joint Operating Agreements: Default Provisions, A Dilemma By Default, Yanal Abul Failat, Birgitte Jensen

Yanal Abul Failat

English law is often the law of choice in complex and high value contracts where issues such as remedies, default, limitation of liability and financing are paramount. Further, English law affords JV partners comfort that their JV agreement will be construed in accordance to its own terms and cannot be declared void on technical grounds as no codified structure exists. However, as the attitudes of the English courts remain uncertain on the question of forfeiture and whether such a remedy would be held to be a penalty, JV partners must tread carefully when agreeing the default provisions in their JOA. …

Ferc Enforcement On Market Manipulation Testing The Law’S Limit, John Ye

John Ye

A 2012 article from the New York Times[1] reported that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had taken aggressive steps against market manipulation in the electricity trading space against large investment banks. Notable cases were taken against Barclays[2], JP Morgan[3] and Deutsche Bank[4].

The fine for Barclays was a steep $469.9 million, which the bank said it would contest. JP Morgan was ordered to suspend selling energy capacity for 6 months. Deutsche Bank, on the other hand, was only fined for $1.5 million. Yet, Deutsche Bank was ready to mount a vigorous defense at …

Risky Winds: Investing In Wind Energy Projects In Pakistan, Umair Ghori

Umair H. Ghori

Investment in renewable energy sectors in many developing countries has grown significantly in the last decade. Developing countries now seek to attract investment in the renewable energy sector. Foreign investment in developing countries hinges on factors such as security of investment, entry barriers, cost of doing business, repatriation of profits, dispute resolution, etc. This is where the role of the government and policy-makers becomes critical. Unless a sector-specific policy is adopted that is not only coherent and adaptable but also extends the right incentives, foreign investors will remain reluctant to invest in the renewable energy sector even if a huge …

The Key To Unlocking The Power Of Small Scale Renewable Energy: Local Land Use Regulation, Patricia Salkin

Patricia E. Salkin

Myriad federal and state programs have been promoted to incentivize the research and development of renewable energy as a means of achieving sustainability and producing more affordable alternative energy systems, and these programs could potentially have a profound impact on the way that electricity is produced and consumed in the United States. Small-scale renewable energy generation from sources such as solar and wind, that can be used at the consumer level as a source of power for homes and small businesses, is an important part of this paradigm shift. However, regardless of the fiscal incentives offered to clean-tech companies to …

Look Before You Lease: A Lawyer's Guide To Oil & Gas Leasing, Richard A. Grisel

Richard A Grisel

No abstract provided.

The Future Of Energy: The European & American Approaches, Gina Warren

Gina Warren

No abstract provided.

Liquid Assets: A Coasian Economic Analysis Of Oregon's Allocation Of Conserved Water Program, Richard A. Grisel

Richard A Grisel

Diversions for residential, agricultural, recreational, commercial, industrial, and other beneficial uses have had the effect of removing water from rivers and tributaries throughout the western U.S. Another, more recent, competing use is ecological, demonstrated by the legal recognition of instream beneficial uses in some jurisdictions. As awareness of the progressively acute need for reallocation has increased in the arid West, so has interest in water markets and other mechanisms to facilitate transfers across beneficial uses. However, governments and water users face a legacy prior appropriation system that prohibits instream beneficial uses, encourages maximal diversion, stifles water right fungibility, and generally …

Hydropower: It's A Small World After All, Gina Warren

Gina Warren

No abstract provided.

Investment Prospectus: Concentrated Solar Power With Heliostat Tower And Molten Salt Storage, Kyle Herman

Dr. Kyle S. Herman

This article delivers a preliminary overview of Concentrated Solar Technology. It offers data for investors and policy-makers in order to more properly understand and mitigate risks of this renewable energy.

Energy Versus Property, Michael Pappas

Michael Pappas

This article is the first to detail the balance legislatures and courts have struck between private property rights and the compelling public interest in energy production. By examining how property rights have consistently yielded to energy development from colonial times to the most recent decisions involving hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), it identifies a coherent energy/property balance that has shaped property expectations to accommodate energy needs. The article then applies this insight to current disputes pitting aggressive renewable energy policies— such as nuisance immunity or mandatory installations on private property— against fundamental property expectations— the right to exclude and the right to …

Peaceful Coexistence: Independent Microgrids Are Coming, Sara C. Bronin, Paul Mccary

Sara C. Bronin

The growing push for microgrids in the United States over the last five years has generated a lot of excitement. Those worried about our aging transmission and distribution infrastructure hope microgrids can reduce demands on that grid, while increasing reliability. Environmentalists and energy efficiency advocates think microgrids can help us both decrease reliance on fossil fuels and improve the way we utilize waste heat. Academics love the concept, because microgrids—an out-of-the-box approach with far-reaching implications on user-utility relationships—provide great fodder for research and commentary. Perhaps most significantly in this struggling economy, a growing number of companies have invested millions in …

The Carbon Frame: Condensed Version, Kyle Herman

Dr. Kyle S. Herman

Attracting Fdi: The Chilean Government's Role Promoting Renewable Energy, Kyle Herman

Dr. Kyle S. Herman

The development and implementation of renewable energy power plants is important for Chile in order to increase energy security, supply remote mines with electricity, and eventually decrease energy costs. The Chilean government has promoted renewable energy and attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to develop large-scale renewable energy projects. However, the policies cannot sufficiently attract FDI in unproven renewable energies such as Concentrated Solar Power, though it is proven elsewhere. This paper examines the Chilean government’s renewable energy policies, related government agencies, and the extent that these provide a stable backdrop for FDI in large-scale renewable energy projects. Following that summary, …

International Trade Regulatory Challenges For Brazil And Some Lessons From The Promotion Of Ethanol, Michelle R. Sanchez-Badin Mrs., Daniela Helena Godoy Ms.

Michelle R Sanchez-Badin Mrs.

Chilean Renewable Energy Investment Potential With Technology Transfer, Kyle Herman

Dr. Kyle S. Herman

For potential for investment in Chilean renewable energy investment is promising. After the Chicago boys effectively transformed the Chilean economy into a haven for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) during the 1980’s, government laws have aligned definitively with neo-liberal policy—in other words, open markets, incentives for investors, public-private partnerships and consistent injections of capital into its financial markets. This article explore these components and highlights investment potential and offers policy advice.

Controlling The Fulfillment Of The Eu Sustainability Criteria For Transport Biofuels (On The Basis Of Directive 2009/28/Ec), Part I, Evgenia Pavlovskaia

Evgenia Pavlovskaia

The present article researches the mechanisms suggested for controlling the fulfillment of the EU sustainability criteria for transport biofuels that have been presented in the central legal framework in this area, which is Directive 2009/28/EC. The analysis is extended to the related EU policy documents of a non-binding explanatory and recommendatory character. Judging from the content of Directive 2009/28/EC, two main levels of the EU control can be distinguished. The first one is exercised by the EU internal bodies on how the sustainability criteria are fulfilled by the Member States. This level of control is primarily characterized by the scheduled …

Using Sustainability Criteria For Biofuels In A Legal Context - An Analysis Based On The Eu Policy For Transport Biofuels, Evgenia Pavlovskaia

Evgenia Pavlovskaia

Sustainable quality of biofuels and their production methods should be seen as a part of the wider concept “sustainability”. Sustainability of biofuels should be measured in relation to resources and possibilities that the Earth can supply us with. This presentation focuses on sustainability criteria in their function to promote sustainability in a legal context, followed by the analysis of the binding EU regulations for transport biofuels as an example. Two main issues are examined: - the concept of sustainability criteria, special features of their use in law and aspects relevant for their practical implementation, and - the issue of control …

Ferc Enforcement On Market Manipulation Testing The Law’S Limit, John Ye

John Ye

A 2012 article from the New York Times reported that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) had taken aggressive steps against market manipulation in the electricity trading space against large investment banks. Notable cases were taken against Barclays , JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank .

The fine for Barclays was a steep $469.9 million, which the bank said it would contest. JP Morgan was ordered to suspend selling energy capacity for 6 months. Deutsche Bank, on the other hand, was only fined for $1.5 million. Yet, Deutsche Bank was ready to mount a vigorous defense at the time. Unfortunately without …

Las Concesiones De Exploración Geotérmica (Un Supuesto De Discrecionalidad Técnica), Marcelo Mardones

Marcelo Mardones

No abstract provided.

Community-Scale Renewable Energy, Sara C. Bronin, Hannah Wiseman

Sara C. Bronin

As the movement toward cleaner energy has gained momentum within the United States, a growing number of scholars and policymakers have made the case for community-scale renewable energy: mid-sized energy sources supported by resources pooled from several private parties in close geographic proximity. When built and utilized at the community level, these energy facilities may allow for economies of scale that their owners could not achieve working individually. Individual distributed generation, such as solar infrastructure on the roofs of homes, involves high transaction costs and creates relatively small impacts. At the same time, community-scale renewable energy has advantages over large-scale …

The Green Job Engine In Portugal, Kyle Herman

Dr. Kyle S. Herman

Renewable energy technology has come under fierce criticism around the world through the duration of the Global Financial Crisis. Opponents of a state-oriented renewable energy policy infer that the high cost of such technology has negative macroeconomic effects on the economy. This paper investigates the broader economic effects of renewable energy policy in Portugal. Research indicates the government has built cohesive renewable energy policy to foster a strong network of jobs and technologies in the industry. The Wind Energy Industrial Cluster, an innovation centre to drive wind energy technology, is an example of government policy which has fostered strong industrial …

Energy And Environment Policy Case For A Global Project, Thomas A. Faunce

Thomas A Faunce

A policy case is made for a global project on artificial photosynthesis including its scientific justification, potential governance structure and funding mechanisms.