Energy and Utilities Law Commons^™

The Master Limited Liability Partnerships Parity Act: Friend Or Foe?, Sonia J. Toson

Pace Environmental Law Review

In April of 2013, Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware introduced legislation that seeks to level the playing field between renewable and non-renewable energy companies. Titled the “Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act” (MLPPA), the legislation would amend the federal tax code to allow renewable energy companies to form master limited partnerships and thereby gain valuable financing and tax advantages. This legislation would clear the way for the formation of master limited partnerships investing in renewable energy, which would have significant impact on clean energy production in the United States. This article discusses the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act and explores …

Reexamining What We Stand To Lose: A Look At Reinitiated Consultation Under The Endangered Species Act, Catherine E. Kanatas, Maxwell C. Smith

Pace Environmental Law Review

This article first examines the role reinitiated consultation plays within Congress's statutory framework and concludes that in many ways, reinitiated consultation is the glue that holds the Endangered Species Act's protective scheme together. While the ESA generally prohibits any injury to an endangered species, Congress has authorized the Service to permit such injuries under certain circumstances. But these authorizations must be accompanied by a limit that will trigger reinitiated consultation if exceeded. Thus, without reinitiated consultation, these preauthorized injuries or “takes” would prove gaping leaks in Congress's “Ark,” leaving little or no safety for endangered species. Moreover, reinitiated consultation has …

Regulation Of Chemical Risks: Lessons For Reform Of The Toxic Substances Control Act From Canada And The European Union, Adam D.K. Abelkop, John D. Graham

Pace Environmental Law Review

The purpose of this Article is to compare the regulatory systems in Canada and the EU, and use comparative insights to draw some lessons that may be of interest to U.S. policy makers engaged in TSCA reform. CEPA and REACH are seen by stakeholders as state of the art in chemicals assessment and management, and thus the U.S. may draw useful insights from them. Indeed, the European Union and Canada have each been urging other countries to join in a globalization of the REACH or Canadian programs, respectively. Regardless of what TSCA reformers choose to learn from the Canadian and …

Arguments In Support Of A Constitutional Right To Atmospheric Integrity, Elizabeth Fuller Valentine

Pace Environmental Law Review

As used in this paper, “atmospheric integrity” refers to the interrelated physical, chemical, and biological processes on planet Earth that enable human and non-human life now and in the future and recognizes that modern civilization has developed within the relatively stable, current geologic period known as the Holocene. I chose to focus on atmospheric integrity, rather than more broadly on environmental integrity, because the health of terrestrial and aquatic habitats is inextricably tied to atmospheric stability. This assertion is not meant to minimize the multitude of harms impacting land and water. It is just that the magnitude of the climate …

The Tyranny Of Plastics: How Society Of Plastics, Inc. V. County Of Suffolk Prevents New Yorkers From Protecting Their Environment And How They Could Be Liberated From Its Unreasonable Standing Requirements, Albert K. Butzel, Ned Thimmayya

Pace Environmental Law Review

Ever since the Court of Appeals of New York issued its holding in the landmark case Society of Plastics Industry, Inc. v. County of Suffolk, citizen oversight of government-approved and government projects with environmental implications has suffered curtailment inconsistent with the objectives of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). At the center of the conflict between SEQRA and citizen enforcement are the restrictive standing requirements formulated by Society of Plastics, which include the demand that a petitioner demonstrate harm distinct from injury to the general public. Not only does such a prerequisite for consideration of a case's merits ignore …

Wildearth Guardians V. United States Office Of Surface Mining, Reclamation And Enforcement, Erick A. Valencia

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Colorado District Court in WildEarth Guardians v. United States Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement ordered the United States Office of Surface Mining to reevaluate the environmental impact of an approved mining modification plan for the Colowyo Mine after the Office failed to involve the public in the approval process and did not take a “hard look” at the modification’s effects on the environment as required by NEPA. Even though the Office of Surface Mining also approved the Trapper Mine’s modification plan without fulfilling NEPA’s requirements, WildEarth Guardians was left without a remedy regarding that mine because the …

Considerations Of Potential Tort Liability With Respect To Natural Draft Cooling Towers Associated With Steam-Electric Power Plants, Thomas D. Corkran

Akron Law Review

To prevent thermal pollution and to conserve our water supply, it appears that we must learn to live with natural draft cooling towers, at least for the next several decades. Proponents of natural draft cooling towers maintain that the possibility of localized fogging and icing is negligible, but the potential hazards of artificial salt fallout are very real. Also, there appears to be a trend developing in the law which could lead to an action against the operator of a natural draft cooling tower for aesthetic annoyances. There are several theories of action which might lie in such cases, but …

High Country Conservation Advocates V. United States Forest Service, 52 F. Supp. 3d 1174 (D. Colo. 2014), Kathryn S. Ore

Public Land & Resources Law Review

High Country Conservation Advocates v. United States Forest Service concerns the United States Forest Service’s and the Bureau of Land Management’s authorizations of on-the-ground mining exploration activities in the Sunset Roadless Area of western Colorado. The United States District Court for the District of Colorado’s holding has far-reaching consequences for federal agencies’ analysis and disclosure of impacts on the climate under the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”). In addition to bolstering the Plaintiffs’ recent successes at establishing legal standing to challenge federal agencies’ disclosures and analyses of impacts on the climate under NEPA, High Country is the first case to …

Town Of Barnstable V. O’Connor, Taylor R. Thompson

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The United States Circuit Court of the First Circuit’s decision in Town of Barnstable v. O’Connor reignites a hotly debated offshore wind plant proposal. The First Circuit held that the Ex parte Young exception to the Eleventh Amendment applied because the complaint alleged an ongoing violation of federal law and the relief sought was prospective. The court did not discuss the merits of the claim, so the fight against the proposed wind plant powers on.

Recent Case Decisions, Daniel Franklin, John Curtis, Jarrod H. Gamble, Patrick J. Hoog, Taylor C. Venus, Jordan D. Volino

Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Journal

No abstract provided.

Bugging The Oil And Gas Industry: The American Burying Beetle In Oklahoma, Brett Thomas

Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Journal

No abstract provided.

Old Faves And New Raves: How Case Law Has Affected Form Joint Operating Agreements—Problems And Solutions (Part Two), Christopher S. Kulander

Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Journal

No abstract provided.

Social License To Operate: Hydraulic Fracturing-Related Challenges Facing The Oil & Gas Industry, Don C. Smith, Jessica M. Richards

Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Journal

The crossroads of urban development and improved technology allowing oil and gas development in new areas can result in contentious community issues. The debate over one of the improved technologies – i.e., hydraulic fracturing – can be highly emotional. Consequently, industry must address community issues, earning trust and therefore a “social license to operate.” This paper provides fundamental knowledge of the social license to operate concept, validates its application to the oil and gas industry, particularly with respect to shale gas development, discusses the current status of social license in the unconventional development sphere, analyzes current ongoing efforts for shale …

Editor's Introduction, Daniel Franklin, John Curtis, Jarrod H. Gamble, Patrick J. Hoog, Taylor C. Venus, Jordan Volino

Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Journal

No abstract provided.

Social License To Operate: Hydraulic Fracturing-Related Challenges Facing The Oil & Gas Industry, Don C. Smith, Jessica M. Richards

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

The crossroads of urban development and improved technology allowing oil and gas development in new areas can result in contentious community issues. The debate over one of the improved technologies – i.e., hydraulic fracturing – can be highly emotional. Consequently, industry must address community issues, earning trust and therefore a “social license to operate.” This paper provides fundamental knowledge of the social license to operate concept, validates its application to the oil and gas industry, particularly with respect to shale gas development, discusses the current status of social license in the unconventional development sphere, analyzes current ongoing efforts for shale …

The Troubled Evolution Of Energy Policy In The Eec: A Discordant Note In The Harmonization Process, Jonathan D. Fishbane

Akron Law Review

This article will explore the troubled evolution of EEC energy policy and the attendant institutional and structural tensions that have militated against a cohesive energy policy and regulatory regime. Certainly, a by-product of such an inquiry is the issue of whether energy-based decision-making has been predicated upon a communitarian vision with Pan-European meaning, or whether nationalism and the pressures of the historical moment have determined the choice of rules to be made irrespective of long- term institutional considerations. While it is recognized that energy encompasses a variety of sources, including petroleum, coal, electricity, geothermal power, and nuclear energy, this article …

Ohio Edison V. Public Utility Commission Of Ohio: Affirming The Charitable And Municipal Exception To The Policy Against Anti-Competitive Behavior, John E. Ferren

Akron Law Review

This Note will analyze the effects that the Ohio Edison decision will have on the utility industry and on electric consumers.This Note will also explore the common law rule, the background of the rule, and competition in the utility industries. This Note will thoroughly address the opinion and its underlying rationale. Finally, this Note will explore changes within the law and regulation necessary to bring competition to the public utilities industry.

Renewing Electricity Competition, David Schraub

Florida State University Law Review

The scholarly literature on law and social movement has historically focused on public law issues like environmentalism, reproductive rights, and race relations, while staying far away from business and firm behavior. Business behavior was easily understood as that of self-interested profit-maximizers and thereby left to the economics. Recently, however, social movement theorists have begun paying more attention to the business world. While traditional economic models can explain why businesses pursue higher profits, greater market shares, and superior regulatory climates, they are limited in their ability to explain how wish becomes reality. The formation and identification of market opportunities are products …

Water 4.0: The Past, Present, And Future Of The World's Most Vital Resource By David Sedlak, Brian Smith

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

State Refusal Triggers Constitutional Crisis: Past Is Prologue On Energy And Infrastructure, Steven Ferrey

Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works

There is a new Constitutional “federalism” issue, pitting multiple states versus the federal government in a legal fight over control of competitive power supply as the U.S. moves to more renewable energy. In the new electric economy, while federal agencies mandate competition, several states have refused. FERC Order 1000 prohibits states' favoring monopolies via state “Rights-of-First-Refusal” to insist that all power movement be given to incumbent monopolies rather than competitively allocated. This invokes both the Supremacy Clause under Article 8 of the Constitution, as well as the Article I Commerce Clause.

State sustainable energy policy has endured 10 recent significant …