Energy and Utilities Law Commons^™

Solar Homes, Cheryl Cortemeglia, Jim Getz, Molly Knoll, Cara Shepley

Student Environmental Law Films/Golden Tree Films

The film "Solar Homes” interviewed contestants in the U.S. Department of Energy’s solar home design competition.

The Evolution Of Natural Resources Law And Policy, Lawrence J. Macdonnell, Sarah F. Bates

Books, Reports, and Studies

This digital resource contains only an abstract, cover image and table of contents information from the published book.

Print copy of book is available in the University of Colorado’s Wise Law Library: http://lawpac.colorado.edu/record=b444104~S0

Contents: Introduction / Bruce Babbitt -- PART I : REFLECTIONS ON NATURAL RESOURCES LAW AND POLICY: Historical evolution and future of natural resources law and policy / Sally Fairfax, Helen M. Ingram, Leigh Raymond -- Ethical perspectives on resources law and policy : global warming and our common future / Sarah Krakoff -- Why care about the polar bear? : economic analysis of natural resources law and …

Algae And Biodiesel: Patenting Energized As Green Goes Commercial, Matthew R. Priess, Stanley P. Kowalski

Law Faculty Scholarship

In the twenty-first century, predominant dependence on fossil fuels as energy resources will not be sustainable. Developing and commercializing green energy innovations will be an essential component of the transition to a more diversified energy economy. Algal biodiesel is one of the most promising green fuels because of its potential as a renewable and sustainable fuel source without displacing food crops. Algal biodiesel research and development are necessary early steps towards a transition to a green energy economy. The strategic use of strong patent portfolios will drive this by attracting investment, incentivizing innovation and accelerating commercialization. Whereas algal biodiesel research …

Symposium—Critical Intersections For Energy & Water Law: Exploring New Challenges And Opportunities: Foreward, Alastair R. Lucas, Gregory S. Weber, Patricia K. Wouters

Global Business & Development Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Water And Geothermal Energy Development In The Western U.S.: Real World Challenges, Regulatory Conflicts And Other Barriers, And Potential Solutions, Kathleen Callison

Global Business & Development Law Journal

No abstract provided.

"Sighting" Wind Energy Facilities In Vermont: Finding The Right Balance Between Societal Benefits And Aesthetic Burden, Adam Sherwin

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

World Trade Organization Agreements And Principles As A Vehicle For The Attainment Of Energy Security, Dennis J. Hough Jr.

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

Do you remember how you felt on Wednesday, January 7, 2009? Perhaps you do not. I know how some Europeans felt — cold. That was the day that Russia stopped all natural gas exports to Ukraine. By itself, this was a serious course of action. However, because Ukraine is the main transmission corridor for natural gas pipelines shipping gas to Europe, the situation commanded worldwide attention.

Stopping Nuclear Power Plants: A Memoir, Louis J. Sirico Jr.

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Siting Green Infrastructure: Legal And Policy Solutions To Alleviate Urban Poverty And Promote Healthy Communities, Alexandra Dapolito Dunn

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Green infrastructure is an economically and environmentally viable approach for water management and natural resource protection in urban areas. This Article argues that green infrastructure has additional and exceptional benefits for the urban poor which are not frequently highlighted or discussed. When green infrastructure is concentrated in distressed neighborhoods—where it frequently is not—it can improve urban water quality, reduce urban air pollution, improve public health, enhance urban aesthetics and safety, generate green collar jobs, and facilitate urban food security. To make these quality of life and health benefits available to the urban poor, it is essential that urban leaders remove …

Public Trust Limits On Greenhouse Gas Trading Schemes: A Sustainable Middle Ground?, Karl S. Coplan

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

There is a some consensus among economists, environmentalists, and politicians that some form of “cap and trade’ program is the appropriate regulatory mechanism to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions reductions necessary to avoid disastrous global climate disruptions. “Cap and trade” programs necessarily incorporate tradable emissions rights – essentially tradable rights to pollute. As such, they run into principled objection by some environmentalists who oppose the notion of creating economic rights in the global commons – essentially the “right to pollute.” This principled objection derives doctrinal support from the public trust doctrine – the ancient notion rooted in common law and …

Energy Independence: Challenges Facing The West In Adopting Alternative And Renewable Energy Sources, Barbara Cosens

Articles

No abstract provided.

Following Industry's Leed : Municipal Adoption Of Private Green Building Standards, Sarah B. Schindler

Faculty Publications

Local governments are beginning to require new, privately constructed and funded buildings to be “green” buildings. Instead of creating their own, locally-derived definitions of green buildings, many municipalities are adopting an existing private standard created by members of the building industry: LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). This Article explains and assesses the privately promulgated LEED standards. It argues that the translation of LEED standards, which were intended to be voluntary, into law raises several theoretical and practical problems. Specifically, private green building ordinances that rely on LEED do not ensure a reduction in the negative local environmental impacts …

Governance, Technology, And The Search For Modernity In Kenya, Warigia M. Bowman

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

An ICT policy that produces broad access quickly is better than one that does not. Accordingly, success in ICT policymaking can be measured by three empirical measures: speed of passage, scope of implementation, and distribution, as well as one normative measure, process. "Process" represents an important normative dimension of ICT policymaking. Process measures the extent to which the ICT policymaking involves the citizenry, as represented by individuals, civil society groups, local private sector groups, and ideally, urban and rural residents ("wananchi "). Kenya is a case of slow speed of passage, low scope of implementation, low distribution, but high process. …

The Energy Independence And Security Act Of 2007: Can Biotechnology Help Overcome Potential Obstacles To Meeting Its Energy Goals?, Blair H. Moses

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Finding The Balance: Harmonizing Renewable Energy With Wildlife Conservation, Tina R. Goel

Sustainable Development Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Renewable Energy And The Neighbors, Troy A. Rule

Faculty Publications

Small wind turbines and rooftop solar panels are a highly attractive energy option, capable of generating clean, renewable power without the need for transmission lines across vast stretches of rural land. State and federal incentive programs have made these devices increasingly affordable for landowners in recent years, generating an unprecedented level of interest in “distributed” renewable energy.Unfortunately, small wind turbines and solar panels are often far less attractive in the eyes of neighbors, who fear that the systems will erode neighborhood aesthetics and property values. Despite aggressive state and federal programs aimed at promoting renewable energy systems, land use controls …

Shadows On The Cathedral: Solar Access Laws In A Different Light, Troy A. Rule

Faculty Publications

Unprecedented growth in rooftop solar energy development is drawing increased attention to the issue of solar access. To operate effectively, solar panels require un-shaded access to the sun’s rays during peak sunlight hours. Some landowners are reluctant to invest in rooftop solar panels because they fear that a neighbor will erect a structure or grow a tree on nearby property that shades their panels. Existing statutory approaches to protecting solar access for such landowners vary widely across jurisdictions, and some approaches ignore the airspace rights of neighbors. Which rule regime for solar access protection best promotes the efficient allocation of …

Fiftieth Anniversary Note: A Devoted Reader's Appreciation Of The Natural Resources Journal, A. Dan Tarlock

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

Keep Hope Alive: Updating The Prudent Investment Standard For Allocating Nuclear Plant Cancellation Costs, Jonathan Kahn

Faculty Scholarship

As the United States is poised to enter a new era of nuclear power plant construction, it behooves us to revisit some of the controversies of the past and consider how best to deal with some of the major problems that arose once before and may confront us once again as we go down this path. A flurry of costly, protected, and complex disputes concerning the allocation of plant cancellation cost followed upon the collapse of the first boom in nuclear power plant construction during the 1970s and 1980s. These cases led to highly divergent results depending of the jurisdiction …

Can Urban Solar Become A "Disruptive" Technology?: The Case For Solar Utilities, Joel B. Eisen

Law Faculty Publications

After examining the theory of disruptiveness and the inadequacy of current initiatives for renewables, I argue for a disruptive solution to solar. Achieving the kind of deployment that would be required to make a serious down payment on our climate obligations will take something far different than we have seen to date: companies devoted to national (or at least regional), large-scale installations of solar technology, and which are deeply capitalized and willing to take risks to bring solar to many homeowners. I will term these "solar utilities,'' and I propose that one or more of them should take over the …