Law Commons^™

Diving To New Depths: How Green Energy Markets Can Push Mining Companies Into The Deep Sea, And Why Nations Must Balance Mineral Exploitation With Marine Conservation, Catherine Danley

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

The Case For A Mandatory Renewable Portfolio Standard In Virginia: A Case Study Examining Virginia’S Potential For A Mandatory Renewable Portfolio Standard By Comparing Virginia To Maryland And North Carolina, Rebecca Wescott

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Since the early 1980s, states have utilized Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (“RPSs”) as policy mechanisms to “promote broader investment in renewable energy without requiring passage of a comprehensive energy policy measure that includes a pricing mechanism for carbon.” RPS policies can be drafted in one of two ways: (1) as a mandatory RPS, a legal mandate on what percentage of a state’s power portfolio must come from specific eligible renewable energy sources by a specific date in the future, or (2) as a non-binding or voluntary RPS, a policy goal that recommends that a certain percentage of a state’s power …

From Exploitation To Equity: Building Native-Owned Renewable Energy Generation In Indian Country, Michael Maruca

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Indian country contains abundant renewable energy resources, and harnessing such resources is vitally important for national climate change mitigation efforts. Shifting the electric grid towards wind and solar generation also carries local environmental and health benefits, increases energy independence, and serves national security interests. For willing tribes, renewable energy development offers an opportunity for job growth and income base expansion. But if that development is to serve all parties— tribes, states, and the nation—then the current policy framework must change. If it does not change, policymakers risk continuing the long history of exploitative resource development on reservations.

This Article examines …

Using Renewable Portfolio Standards To Accelerate Development Of Negative Emissions Technologies, Anthony E. Chavez

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

As society continues to emit greenhouse gases, the likelihood of dangerous climate change occurring increases. Indeed, most analyses project that we must utilize negative emission technologies (“NETs”) to avoid dangerous warming. Even the Paris Agreement anticipates the implementation of such carbon dioxide (“CO₂”) removal technologies. Unfortunately, NETs are not ready for large-scale deployment. In many instances, their technologies remain uncertain; in others, their ability to operate at the scale required is unknown. Other uncertainties, including their costs, effectiveness, and environmental impacts have yet to be determined.

A means to accelerate the development and implementation of NETs is a …

A “Green” Approach To Hedge Fund Regulation And Reform, Matthew Keehn

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Room To Grow: A Consumer-Focused Proposal For Revitalizing Ohio’S Renewable Energy Sector Through Sustainable Expansion Of The Market, Mairi Mull

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Fueled By Free Trade: Wto Trade Agreements Ensuring The Proliferation Of Solar Technology, John Ferriss

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

“The Energy Capital Of The East Coast?”: Lessons Virginia Can Learn From Cape Wind Failure And European Success In Offshore Wind Energy, Lamya Moosa

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Enforcement Activism Of The Eu’S Renewable Energy Directive During The Global Financial Crisis, Jon Truby

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Beyond Solyndra: Examining The Department Of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program, Hilary Kao

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

In the year following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, the renewable and clean energy industries faced significant turmoil— from natural disasters, to political maelstroms, from the Great Recession, to U.S. debt ceiling debates. The Department of Energy’s Loan Guarantee Program (“DOE LGP”), often a target since before it ever received a dollar of appropriations, has been both blamed and defended in the wake of the bankruptcy filing of Solyndra, a California-based solar panel manufacturer, in September 2011, because of the $535 million loan guarantee made to it by the Department of Energy (“DOE”) in 2009. Critics have suggested …

Have We All Gone Batty? The Need For A Better Balance Between The Conservation Of Protected Species And The Development Of Clean Renewable Energy, Laura Householder

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

An Integrated Green Urban Electrical Grid, Deborah Behles

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Relying on only renewable resources for generating electricity once seemed like a dream. Yet, an island in Denmark is now achieving that dream by generating all the electricity it needs with renewable resources. Other communities throughout the world now want to achieve this same milestone. To critics, these goals are not attainable due to the intermittent nature of the primary renewable resources, wind and solar power, which many of these communities plan to rely on. But, several studies have confirmed that it can be done, and plans are already underway to switch communities to one hundred percent renewable energy in …

Legal And Regulatory Impediments To Vehicle-To-Grid Aggregation, Matthew Hutton, Thomas Hutton

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

This article begins by defining the “vehicle-to-grid” concept for a legal readership, and places it in context by discussing some major problems facing the United States electrical grid. There are several ways in which the vehicle-to-grid concept may potentially mitigate the grid’s problems as are described. Then, the article discusses the major legal and regulatory impediments to implementing a vehicle-to-grid program. Several of the hurdles are simply manifestations of uncertainties in the business environment. Others are more properly legal and regulatory impediments, but are expected to be surmountable. Therefore, the Article concludes that legal and regulatory impediments will not likely …

A Survey Of State Renewable Portfolio Standards: Square Pegs For Round Climate Change-Holes?, Ivan Gold, Nidhi Thakar

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Thirty states now have renewable portfolios standards that require generators of electricity to increase their use of renewable energy. Originally intended to promote “energy independence” and other environmental goals, today the programs are among the few U.S. programs which respond to the threat of global warming. This article considers how they work and whether they are effective. It concludes that, in the absence of comprehensive international or federal greenhouse gas controls, renewable portfolio standards are an effective and productive means to retard global warming.

China's Renewable Energy Law: A Platform For Green Leadership?, Joel B. Eisen

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Are Renewable Portfolio Standards A Policy Cure-All?: A Case Study Of Illinois's Experience, David G. Loomis, Adrienne Ohler

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Renewable Portfolio Standards (“RPS”) are stated to have a plethora of benefits: job creation, renewable energy growth, reduced carbon emissions, and a reduction in retail electricity prices. Often when a policy has multiple agendas, the policy fails to meet any of the objectives. Twenty-nine states have implemented an RPS, but state policies vary with regard to the sources considered eligible, out-of-state generation, credit trading, and the process of ensuring compliance. The various policy facets affect the growth of renewable energy within the state and affect the additional stated benefits of job creation and reduced emissions. This paper examines Illinois’s RPS …

When Prayer Trumps Politics: The Politics And Demographics Of Renewable Portfolio Standards, Joshua P. Fershee

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

The Ramifications Of The W.H. Sammis Settlement: Why Jobs Are Being Lost, The Air Remains Unclean, And This Landmark Settlement Is Making Progress In The Wrong Direction, Michael Paul Pegman

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

A Grassroots Vehicle For Sustainable Energy: The Conservation Reserve Program & Renewable Energy, Jared Wiesner

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

A Time To Act Anew: A Historical Perspective On The Energy Policy Act Of 2005 And The Changing Electrical Energy Market, Brad Sherman

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Corporate Governance And Rational Energy Choices, Steven Ferrey

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.