February 2017
Sustainable Energy Initiative Update
The Events Issue!

This March, GW Law will host three not-to-be missed events.
  • GW Law’s annual Shapiro symposium will take up the topic of private environmental governance on March 2-3. Register here!
  • On March 8, GW Law, GW School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions will release their new paper “Microgrid Momentum” at a half day seminar featuring a wide array of speakers discussing the latest in microgrid deployments. Register here!
  • On March 15, GW Law will once again host the annual Energy Bar Association’s Enforcer and Defender’s Forum, including a “skills” session. Register here!
All three will be held at GW Law in the Jacob Burns Moot Court Room, located in Lerner Hall, 2000 H St NW, Washington DC. Detailed descriptions and registration information is set forth below, along with other upcoming events. Sign up now! 

Private Environmental Governance – March 2-3

We think of private environmental governance (PEG) as occurring when private organizations take actions that supplement (or perhaps displace in some instances) the traditionally governmental functions of reducing negative externalities, managing common pool resources and producing public goods. Private governance may prove especially important in light of the recent election, which may result in a reduced federal role in at least some areas of environmental governance.
The goal of this year’s J.B. & Maurice C. Shapiro symposium is to identify common research questions across disciplines, to discuss what we know about the reasons private governance is being pursued, and the structure of these programs, to better understand how companies monitor performance of private governance systems, to explore whether and how private governance is or is not contributing to better environmental outcomes, and to examine how linkages between private and public governance               Photo: 2016 Shapiro symposium
systems might produce better environmental outcomes.
The event will be co-sponsored by The George Washington University’s Law School, Journal of Energy and Environmental Law, and GW School of Business; the Vanderbilt University’s Law School and Department of Sociology; and the Environmental Law Institute. The event will be held on March 2 and 3, 2017 in Washington, DC, at GW Law, in the Jacob Burns Moot Court Room, Lerner Hall, 2000 H St. NW. See the entire program below.

March 2

8 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.  Registration and continental breakfast

8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.  Introductory Remarks—Symposium Organizers

Michael Vandenbergh, Vanderbilt University Law School
H. Lee Paddock, George Washington Law School
John Forrer, George Washington Business School 

9 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Scene Setting—Why is PEG Important for Academics and Practitioners?
Moderator: Zdravka Tzankova, Vanderbilt, Department of Sociology 
Virginia Haufler, University of Maryland Director of Global Communities
John Ehrmann, Meridian Institute 

10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Scene Setting—What Is Happening with PEG Outside the Academy?
David Rapaport, Aveda Corporation and the Minnesota Sustainable Grown Coalition 
Jeff Smith, Co-Director, Fordham Law School Sustainability Initiative (retired partner, Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP)
Bob Mitchell, Vice-President, Social and Environmental Responsibility, Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition
Cassie Phillips, Director, Private Environmental Governance Initiative, Environmental Law Institute 
Andy Mims, Wolcott, Loring 

12:30 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Lunch

1:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Grodsky Prize Presentation
Recipient: Thomas Alford, LLM ’16, for his paper “Off the Grid: Facilitating the Acquisition of Microgrids for Military Installations to Achieve Energy Security
and Sustainability”

1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Climate Change: Drivers of Private Climate Governance  
Moderator: Michael Vandenbergh, Vanderbilt Law School
Matt Banks, WWF Climate Leaders (by video)
David Hayes, Stanford 
Professor Tom Lyon, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan 
Professor Ben Cashore, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies 
Fatima Maria Ahmad, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) 
Jackie Roberts, Carlyle Group 
Professor Sarah Light, Wharton 

3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Break

3:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Climate Change: Private Governance in New Sectors  
Moderator: John Cruden, former Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, US Department of Justice; former President, Environmental
Law Institute 
Professor Albert Lin, UC Davis Law School 
Professor Kristen van de Biezenbos, University of Oklahoma 
Professor Sara Rollet Gosman, University of Arkansas
Professor Virginian Harper Ho, University of Kansas 
Sameer Kwatra, NRDC 

5:45 p.m. - 6:45 p.m. Reception 

March 3

8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast

9 a.m. - noon .  PEG and Accountability
Opening remarks: Dr. Linda A. Livingstone, Dean, GW School of Business
Moderator: John Forrer, GW School of Business
Professor Vibe Ulfbeck, University of Copenhagen 
Professor Gaston de los Reyes, GW School of Business 
Larry Hatcher, Vice President for Environment, Duke Energy 
Will Martin, former board chair, Marine Stewardship Council 
Jon Johnson, University of Arkansas, Sustainability Consortium

12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.  Lunch and Presentation  
Joshua Galperin, Director of the Environmental Protection Clinic, Lecturer in Law, and a Research Scholar at Yale Law School, on the intersection of activism and
pragmatism  in PEG

1 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Intersections Between Public and Private Governance, Part 1
Moderator: Lee Paddock, GW Law School
Professor Anastasia Telesetsky, University of Idaho 
Professor Peter Appel, University of Georgia 
Professor Rachel Deming, Barry University School of Law 
Jason Czarnezki, Haub School of Law at Pace University 

2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Break

2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Intersections, Part 2
Professor Stephanie Tai, University of Wisconsin 
Professor Sarah Morath, University of Houston Law Center 
Professor Lisa Benjamin, The College of the Bahamas 

3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Closing Dialogue on Next Steps 
Moderator: Lee Paddock
Paul C. Stern, National Research Council 
Pamela Campos, EDF 
Eric Orts, Wharton
Stan Meiberg, former Acting Deputy Administrator, US EPA

4:45 p.m. - 5 p.m. Closing Remarks
Michael Vandenbergh and John Forrer

Microgrid Momentum: Building Efficient, Resilient Power – March 8

Microgrids are an innovative solution to reduce emissions, improve electricity system reliability and resilience, and tighten grid security. But financial, legal and technological barriers can slow their deployment. On March 8, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), and the George Washington University Law School will host state, business and city leaders as we examine the opportunities and challenges of successful microgrid deployment. 

A paper on Microgrid Momentum, developed through C2ES, The George Washington University Law School and The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science, will be released in conjunction with the conference. The paper identifies financial and regulatory hurdles to microgrid development and provides recommendations for a path forward. Support for this project was made available by the Duke Energy Renewables Innovation Fund at George Washington. 

This program is part of C2ES’s Solutions Forum series and will be held in the Jacob Burns Moot Court Room at The George Washington University Law School on March 8 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Doors open for registration and a continental breakfast at
8:30 a.m.
Opening Remarks
• Lee Paddock, Associate Dean for Environmental Studies, GW Law School
• Bob Perciasepe, President, C2ES

Building Resilient, Secure Microgrids
• Sudipta Lahiri, Senior Consultant, Energy Advisory, DNV GL
• Joel Langill, Critical Infrastructure Protection, AECOM
• Bracken Hendricks, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Ingenuity
• Moderator: Janet Peace, Senior Vice President, Policy and Business Strategy, C2ES

Breaking Down Regulatory & Financial Barriers
• Tom Fenimore, Technology Development Manager, Duke Energy
• Pete Fuller, Vice President, Market & Regulatory Policy, NRG Energy
• Kyle Haas, Energy Policy and Compliance Analyst, District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment
• Kevin Self, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development & Government Relations, Schneider Electric
• Moderator: Donna Attanasio, Senior Advisor for Energy Law Programs, GW Law

Support for this project was made available by the 
Duke Energy Renewables Innovation Fund at George Washington University.

2017 Enforcers and Defenders Forum – March 15

The George Washington University Law School will host the Energy Bar Association's Enforcers and Defenders Forum on March 15. The program will include a panel on "Designing Effective Energy Compliance Programs." This panel will discuss the essential elements of energy compliance programs, touching on both Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) guidance. Following an overview of energy compliance program design, the panel will conduct a "skills session" to simulate a conversation between a client compliance officer and their attorney to help develop an effective compliance program. The Forum also will present its popular Enforcers Panel with key representatives from FERC, CFTC, and Reliability First addressing hot enforcement and compliance issues for 2017 and other timely topics.

The event will be held from 1 to 5 p.m., including a networking reception at the George Washington University Law School, Jacob Burns Moot Court Room, Lerner Hall, 2000 H Street, NW, Washington, DC. 

12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m. Registration 

1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.  Panel 1: Designing Effective Compliance Plans
Panelists: Mark R. Haskell, Partner, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
Ruta Kalvaitis Skučas, Partner, Pierce Atwood
David Louw, Chief Compliance Officer, Macquarie Energy LLC’s
Mustafa Ostrander, Assistant General Counsel and Chief Compliance Office, Tallgrass Energy Partners (invited)
Moderator: Bennett Resnick
 
  2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.  Panel 2: Current Issues and Trends in Enforcement
Panelists: Jason Blake, Vice President and General Counsel, ReliabilityFirst Corporation
Paul Hayeck, Deputy Director, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Larry R. Parkinson, Director, Office of Enforcement, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Moderator: Bob Fleishman, Senior of Counsel, Morrison & Foerster

Networking Reception to Follow

CLE: EBA will apply for CLE approval in VA, NY and CA. If you need CLE credit in another state, please inquiry with Lisa Levine at LLEVINE@EBA-NET.ORG.

Registration fees (on-site participation only):
Member $55
Non-Member $75
Member (Gov't/Academic) $40
Non-Member (Gov't/Academic) $45
Full Time Student (EBA Member) $0
Full-Time Student $10

Upcoming April Events

April 3-4, 2017: Register now for the Energy Bar Association’s Annual Meeting & Conference on April 3-4, 2017. The conference features two days of educational programs on all aspects of energy. The key note speaker will be Former Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., who defended the Obama administration’s positions in major legal issues including the Affordable Care Act and marriage equality before the Supreme Court, and is now with the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson.  

A new feature this year will be the Committee Huddle, a chance to meet face-to-face with other committee members and Committee and Council leaders. And, as always, EBA’s Annual Meeting and elections will be held in conjunction with the conference. 

Each year, the Energy Bar Association's Annual Meeting & Conference welcomes over 500 attendees and is approved for approximately 10-15 hours of MCLE credit, and an additional 1.5 hours of ethics credit. Attendees will include attorneys, non- attorney professionals, and students active in all areas of energy law, including international energy transactions, legislation and regulatory reform, electric utility regulation, including antitrust, alternative dispute resolution, finance and transactions, and environment and public lands at federal, state, and international levels. 

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credit Information: Pending approval for 10-15 hours of MCLE credit, and an additional 1.5 hours of ethics credit. EBA has applied to the following states for MCLE and ethics, when appropriate: AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MN, MO, OH, OK, TX, VA, WA, WI. MCLE accreditation has been (or will be) requested from states with general MCLE requirements. Each state has its own rules and regulations regarding "CLE". For questions on CLE, email EBA-CLE@EBA-NET.ORG. 

April 3, 2017: The Charitable Foundation of the Energy Bar Association (CFEBA) will hold its annual gala on the evening of April 3, 2017 at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel in Washington DC, immediately following the first day of the EBA Annual Meeting and Conference. This year’s theme is the Power of Water. In partnership with Innovation: Africa, CFEBA has the special opportunity this year to help a village in Uganda that is lacking access to clean water. With your generosity and support, Innovation: Africa will drill a water well into the underlying aquifer, construct a water holding tank, and install solar panels and a solar-powered  pump to move water from the well to the tank. Upon the completion of the project, clean water will flow for the first time to 10 taps that also will be installed in the village. In addition, drip irrigation technology will also be installed, allowing the village to produce more food with less water. For more information, including sponsorship opportunities, go to the CFEBA website or register here.