Energy and Utilities Law Commons^™

A Brief History Of Energy Law In United States Law Schools: An Introduction To The Symposium (Symposium Editor), Fred P. Bosselman

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Green Diesel: Finding A Place For Algae Oil (Symposium Editor), Fred P. Bosselman

All Faculty Scholarship

The prospect of obtaining domestically-produced biodiesel from algae has attracted wide investor interest. Although many analysts predict that economic production is five to ten years away, the production process involves such a wide range of environmental and land use issues that it is not premature to begin thinking about the kinds of places in which “green biodiesel” could be efficiently made in the United States. Our land use and environmental laws were all drafted by people who never imagined the possibility that huge volumes of algae would be an important energy resource; nor could they have known that the location …

Yukos Universal V. Russia: Shell Companies And Treaty Shopping In International Energy Disputes, Paul M. Blyschak

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

No abstract provided.

Baselines Newsletter, No. 7, Winter/Spring 2011, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Baselines: The Natural Resources Law Center Newsletter (2007-2011)

No abstract provided.

Local Energy, Hannah J. Wiseman, Garrick B. Pursley

Scholarly Publications

At a point in the future that is no longer remote, renewable energy will be a necessity. The construction of large renewable energy farms is central to a transition away from fossil fuels, but distributed renewable energy technologies—wind turbines in backyards and solar panels on roofs—are immediately essential as well. Widespread deployment of distributed renewable technologies requires rapid innovation led by renewable energy pioneers—individuals who act as market leaders and prove to their neighbors that these new energy devices are safe and worthy of use. Existing law and the very structure of governmental authority over energy is ill-suited to this …

Offshore Wind Energy Development In Michigan’S Great Lakes: Current Law And Proposed Legislation, Katherine Brady-Medley, Nick Schroeck

Law Faculty Research Publications

Michigan has over 38,000 square miles of state owned Great Lakes bottomlands. However, due to current limits with wind turbine technology, wind farms are restricted to areas on the Great Lakes where the water is less than 30 meters deep. For wind energy to be practicable, wind farms must be close to existing transmission facilities, so that energy generated from the turbines can be distributed to consumers. Construction of a wind energy facility requires heavy machinery and a wind farm site needs a transmission station nearby and underground lines for transmission of power.

For terrestrial wind farms, a developer typically …

The Fight For Clean Technology Funds: Who Should Control The Future Of Low-Carbon Technology In The Developing World, William Gardner

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

As part of a multilateral climate change treaty, the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have discussed establishing an international aid mechanism, or fund, to support low-carbon energy generation and energy efficiency projects in developing countries. The selection of a fund administrator has been particularly contentious. Many developed countries believe that, rather than creating a new fund, the COP should use an already established one-the World Bank's Clean Technology Fund (CTF)-and select the World Bank as fund administrator.H owever, many developing countries believe the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC should create a …

The Next Generation Of Greenwash: Diminishing Consumer Confusion Through A National Eco-Labeling Program , Jessica E. Fliegelman

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Since the 1990's there has been a continuously growing movement among advertisers to appeal to consumers by touting how environmentally friendly their products are. This note addresses the prominence of misleading and deceptive environmental claims that have prompted appeals for improved federal regulation. Specifically, the Note focuses on the emerging trend of carbon advertising and national and international models that provide guidance on preventing deception. Part I conveys the current status of environmental advertising and the necessary background principles for establishing regulations. Part II details major criticisms of the current environmental advertising guidelines and proposed models for restructuring environmental advertising …

Water, Climate, And Energy Security, Elizabeth Burleson

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Civil society participation can facilitate sound energy, climate, and water governance. This article analyzes the dynamics of transnational decision-making. Part II discusses sound energy strategy in light of a shrinking water-resources base due to climate change. Part III considers how public participation in international decision-making can sustain trust in governments and strengthen the legitimacy of legal decisions. Part IV concludes that process and outcome are both integral to addressing water, climate, and energy challenges.

Energy Revolution And Disaster Response In The Face Of Climate Change, Elizabeth Burleson

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This article considers the means by which communities can become increasingly resilient through shared best practices across a range of climate change measures. Part II of this article will address emergency preparedness for effective disaster response. Part III will analyze how decision-makers can use adaptive management in a shared local, regional, national, and international cohesive frame- work. Part IV will recommend resilient green building strategies. This article concludes that in the midst of an unprecedented energy revolution, there are meaningful emergency preparedness measures that the international community can facilitate to build resilience in the face of natural and unnatural disasters.

Capturing Individual Harms, Katrina Fischer Kuh

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The aggregated lifestyles and behaviors of individuals impose significant environmental harms yet remain largely unregulated. A growing literature recognizes the environmental significance of individual behaviors, critiques the failure of environmental law and policy to capture harms traceable to individual behaviors, and suggests and evaluates strategies for capturing individual harms going forward. This Article contributes to the existing literature by approaching the problem of environmentally significant individual harms through the lens of environmental federalism. Using climate change and individual greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions as an exemplar, the Article illustrates how local information, local governments, and local implementation can enhance policies designed …

Toward Legitimacy Through Collaborative Governance: An Analysis Of The Effect Of South Carolina's Office Of Regulatory Staff On Public Utility Regulation, William H. Ellerbe

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

In 2004 the South Carolina General Assembly instituted a major reform to its system of public utility regulation. Previously, the Public Service Commission, the administrative agency in charge of regulating public utilities, both adjudicated utility proceedings and, through its staff,a advocated for the public interest. A scandal concerning revelations of extensive ex parte communications between regulated utilities and members of the Public Service Commission led to the 2004 reform, which created the Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) as a separate agency to perform the Commission's advocative functions. In my research, I use data on fuel factor proceedings before and after …

The Case For Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing: Ten Steps Business And Industry Must Take To Optimize Opportunities In The Emerging Clean Energy Economy, Stanley Pruss

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

Clean energy policy choices will be critical both for economic vitality within the United States and for international competitiveness in the race to improve clean energy technology and capture emerging markets. With legislative solutions losing momentum, business and industry leaders will be the key drivers in reorienting American policy, discourse, and economics in the clean energy economy. The problem, however, is that many political and business leaders are unaware of the job-creating potential and economic benefits in the clean energy sectors. These benefits could be realized if we made a serious, strategic effort to align our latent strengths in manufacturing …

The Supreme Court Disposes Of A Nuisance Suit: American Electric Power V. Connecticut, Jonathan H. Adler

Faculty Publications

In American Electric Power v. Connecticut the Supreme Court confronted climate change litigation for the second time. Whereas Massachusetts v. EPA was a closely divided court decision with dramatic and far-reaching legal and policy implications, AEP was a narrow, unanimous opinion that hewed closely to well-settled precedent. In AEP the Court side-stepped difficult jurisdictional questions and rejected an ambitious effort to turn the federal common law of nuisance into a judicially administered environmental regulatory regime. While not erecting any new barriers to future climate suits, the Court’s opinion raised cautions about trying to make climate change policy through the judiciary. …

Legal And Policy Issues Related To Anaerobic Digestion At United States Livestock Facilities, Jennifer C. Fiser

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Airspace In A Green Economy, Troy A. Rule

Faculty Publications

The recent surge of interest in renewable energy and sustainable land use has made the airspace above land more valuable than ever before. However, a growing number of policies aimed at promoting sustainability disregard landowners' airspace rights in ways that can cause airspace to be underutilized. This article analyzes several land use conflicts emerging in the context of renewable energy development by framing them as disputes over airspace. The article suggests that incorporating options or liability rules into laws regulating airspace is a useful way to promote wind and solar energy while still respecting landowners' existing airspace rights. If properly …

Keeping Pace?: The Case Against Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing Programs, Prentiss Cox

University of Colorado Law Review

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a method of public financing for energy improvements through special assessments on local government property taxes. Interest in PACE exploded since its inception in 2008, with almost half the states rapidly enacting legislation enabling local governments to use their property collection power to finance residential energy investments. The growth in PACE has been suspended and existing programs have been put on hold in the face of opposition from the federal secondary mortgage market regulators. Governments and environmental advocates supporting PACE have initiated litigation against federal mortgage and banking regulators and are seeking passage of …

Expanding Regional Renewable Governance, Hannah J. Wiseman

Scholarly Publications

Energy drives economies and quality of life, yet accessible traditional fuels are increasingly scarce. Federal, state, and local governments have thus determined that renewable energy development is essential and have passed substantial requirements for its use. These lofty goals will fail, however, if policymakers rely upon existing institutions to govern renewable development. Renewable fuels are fugitive resources, and ideal property for renewable technology is defined by the strength of the sunlight or wind that flows over it. When a potential site for a utility-scale development is identified, a new piece of property, which I call a “renewable parcel,” is superimposed …

Legal Issues In Financing Energy Efficiency: Creative Solutions For Funding The Initial Capital Costs Of Investments In Energy Efficiency Measures, James M. Van Nostrand

Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The New Energy Geopolitics?: China, Renewable Energy, And The "Greentech Race", Joel B. Eisen

Law Faculty Publications

The issue of China's support for renewables has taken center stage in the United States, thanks to an investigation by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) that commenced in October 2010. That investigation began with a complaint alleging that China unfairly subsidizes its greentech industries, in violation of its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Well before that investigation began, numerous Americans believed the United States was less engaged in greentech promotion than China. China has come very far in a short amount of time to promote renewables, and many feel the United States is falling …