See the latest updates from the Environmental and Energy Program!

Winter Newsletter 2023

This edition previews the upcoming Shapiro Symposium, unveils a new scholarship matching opportunity, and provides more information about our new international LLM program in energy, climate, and environmental law, which is now accepting applicants. Read on to learn about the exciting agenda of spring programming we have planned and for a recap of the events that have occurred since the Fall 2022 newsletter. This issue’s recommended reading list comes from Tammy Tideswell, LLM, our retiring Senior Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs and John S. Jenkins Family Professorial Lecturer in Law and Policy. And no issue is complete without coverage of our faculty and staff’s scholarship and a “Fun Fact.”

PROGRAM NEWS

Upcoming Shapiro Symposium

Save the Date! On April 6-7, 2023, the Environmental and Energy Law Program will host its annual 2023 J.B. & Maurice C. Shapiro Environmental Law Symposium: Conserving Our Nation’s Biodiversity: Progress, Obstacles, and Solutions for America’s 30 by 30 Initiatives. Learn more about the Shapiro Symposium on the GW Law website and in our events calendar below.

Donors Offered Matching Funds for Endowed, Named Scholarships

Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew has launched a new matching fund opportunity to galvanize expansion of scholarships. With the dollar-for-dollar match, a donor can meet the minimum $100,000 threshold for an endowed, named scholarship with a donation of $50,000. The matching funds consist of $500,000 to be used to create scholarships for JD students; and $300,000 to be used to create scholarships for students interested in pursuing an Energy and Environmental Law LLM degree.

Every year, there are outstanding LLM students, often from less-developed countries, who are unable to study at GW Law without substantial financial aid. “GW Law thrives on maintaining a diverse mix of talented students, so losing that talent pool due to financial need hurts our community,” said Donna Attanasio, Assistant Dean for Energy Law. “Opening more doors is good for students and great for the energy law program.”

Funding for the Energy and Environmental Law degree scholarship match was made possible through the generosity of past donors to the Energy Law and Policy Fund. “Every contribution to the Energy Law and Policy Fund is used to strengthen the energy law program. We value every contribution of any size,” said Attanasio. “Using a portion of our donations for this matching program multiplies the power of those donations to meet our very specific need for scholarships. I look forward to working with donors to establish endowments that will keep the energy program strong.”

The matching opportunity is available until June 30, 2023 or until the matching funds are exhausted. More information is available on the GW Law website.

Now Accepting Applications for 2023-24: New Double-Degree Program in Energy, Environmental, and Climate Law

GW Law’s innovative new international double-degree program in energy, environmental, and climate law is now accepting applications. The program enables students to receive two LLM degrees in one academic year from two universities covering both U.S. and European Union Law: An LLM in Energy and Environmental Law from GW Law and an LLM in Energy and Climate Law from the University of Groningen (UG).

Students will study at UG in the Netherlands in the fall, and GW Law in the Spring, with the summer available for completion of their thesis. UG is ranked as one of the top 10 energy law LLM programs in the world and it is also home to a renowned energy-research center. GW Law’s highly ranked Environmental and Energy Law program is one of the oldest in the U.S., and collaborates closely with other GW schools and institutes. Its location in Washington, D.C. provides students with access to some of the most powerful institutions in the world. Thus, both schools bring a transdisciplinary perspective and unique attributes to the program.

“We’re looking for top-quality students for this unusual and rigorous program,” said Donna Attanasio, Assistant Dean for Energy Law at GW Law. “These will be students who understand the international dimensions of climate change and want to be leaders in the world’s quest to manage it.” Annual enrollment is limited to 20 students, but the first-year enrollment will likely be held to a lower level, to ensure a sound start. Dean Attanasio will direct the GW Law portion of the program in conjunction with colleagues at UG.

The new program extends the decade-long association between the programs at these schools. “Setting up a program of the scope of this double-degree program requires an understanding of each schools’ existing programs and a strong working relationship,” said Dean Attanasio. “GW Law and Groningen are fortunate to have such positive past experiences to draw upon. I am excited and honored to be working with UG’s amazing faculty on this unique program.”

Students interested in the program can find more information on GW Law’s website and are encouraged to contact GW Law’s Office of Graduate and International Programs. Applications are submitted through the University of Groningen, which will share the information with GW Law. Students must be admitted by both schools to qualify for the program.

Professor Glicksman's Article Selected Among Best in Environmental Law

Robert Glicksman, J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Environmental Professor of Law, co-authored a paper published in the University of Colorado Law Review that was selected as among the five best environmental law articles published in 2020. Professor Glickman’s article, Reevaluating Environmental Citizen Suits in Theory and Practice, 91 U. Colo. L. Rev. 385 (2020), was selected, in a peer-reviewed competition sponsored by the Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law. The article discusses the efficacy of citizen suits and proposes three alternative models to citizen suits. Find the article on GW Law News and the University of Colorado Law Review website.

EVENTS

Watch the GW Law Environmental and Energy events page for more details and registration information.

Upcoming Events: Save the Dates!

Energy Connectors Social Hour

February 15, 2023, 5-7 pm

Tasher Great Room

GW Law welcomes back alumni and students interested in energy law to meet, reconnect, and relax.

Collaborative Conversations: Is the Hydrogen Economy Here?

February 21, 2023, 8:30 - 11:30 am

Michael K. Young Faculty Conference Center

This roundtable discussion will bring together experts, students, and others for a thought-provoking off-the-record discussion about the challenges the hydrogen industry is facing as it seeks to transform how energy is produced and delivered.

Co-Moderators: Brandon Farris JD ’11, Head of Federal Government Affairs, The Chemours Company; Donna M. Attanasio, Assistant Dean for Energy Law, GW Law

Investable Sustainable Aviation Fuels,

March 7, 2023, 12:30-4pm

Jacob Burns Moot Court Room

Panelists will explore the current development status of sustainable aviation fuels and the obstacles to accelerating their use for both military and civilian purposes; building health and equity considerations into the sector from the start; and attracting investment capital including from the ESG sector.

Co-sponsored by GW Law Environmental and Energy Law Program; GW Law Sustainable Energy Initiative; GW Law National Security Law Association (NSLA); GW Law Journal of Energy and Environmental Law; the National Security, Cybersecurity, and Foreign Relations Law Program, GW Environmental and Energy Management Institute, SustainableGW, and GW Climate and Health Institute

Climate Change Cross-Border Migration and the Biden Administration: What the Future Holds

March 22, 2023

In collaboration with the International and Comparative Law Program, GW Law will host Professor Chhaya Bhardwaj, of Jindal Global Law School, to lecture on her recently published article. The lecture is based on the “Report on the Impact of Climate Change Migration, 2021” and contextualizes it in relation to the cross-border migration induced by climate change. The lecture will discuss the discourse surrounding climate change and refugees fleeing environmental disasters.

Investable Nuclear Energy

March 22, 2023, 1-2:45 pm

Webinar

Following up on GW Law’s multi-day conference last year on the topic of Investable Nuclear Energy (available on YouTube), this webinar will drill down to take a closer look at the questions investors are asking during due diligence reviews. After the opening presentation addressing the questions that are typically asked during due diligence of a project, the panel will discuss the similarities and differences in lines of inquiry about investing in a reactor vendor, a project, or a balance sheet company adding a new project to its existing portfolio. Questions and answers will follow.

Animals and the Anthropocene: A Legal Scholarship Symposium

March 24, 2023, 8:30 am- 6:30 pm

Michael K. Young Faculty Conference Center

Please join the Animal Legal Education Initiative at GW Law as they host its Inaugural Spring Symposium on March 24, 2023, titled “Animals and the Anthropocene: A Legal Scholarship Symposium.” The symposium is co-hosted by the GW Law Environmental and Energy Law Program and the GW Law chapter of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF). Information on the Call for Papers and registration on the Animals and the Anthropocene Event Page.

Collaborative Conversations: Talking About Sustainable Fuels to Students, Investors, and the Public

March 30, 2023, 12:30-3:30 pm

Michael K. Young Faculty Conference Center

This roundtable discussion invites participants to consider how to communicate and develop a fuller understanding of the benefits, challenges, and risks of the sustainable alternative and biofuels sector and where they fit in the energy transition. Participants are urged to consider how education can be accomplished across a broad spectrum of interest groups, including the potential future workforce, investors, and the public.

Co-moderators: Joanne Ivancic, JD ’87, Executive Director, Advanced Biofuels USA; Donna M. Attanasio, Assistant Dean for Energy Law, GW Law

The 2023 J.B. & Maurice C. Shapiro Environmental Law Symposium: Conserving Our Nation’s Biodiversity: Progress, Obstacles, and Solutions for America’s 30 by 30 Initiatives

April 6-7, 2023

Jacob Burns Moot Court Room

On April 6-7, 2023, the Environmental and Energy Law Program will host its annual Shapiro Symposium in Washington, D.C., organized this year with the Environmental Law Institute, the University of Oregon Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center, and Wildlands Network. The symposium will focus on how to advance our nation’s environmental laws and policies to set aside 30 percent of our nation’s lands and waters by the year 2030 (based on the Biden administration’s “America the Beautiful” initiative and other local “30 by 30” initiatives).

Attendees will hear from state and federal agencies, NGOs, legal scholars, and authors who have been spearheading 30 by 30 efforts. These leaders in their respective fields will provide an assessment of the successes and obstacles encountered while implementing 30 by 30, and address some of the potential opportunities to enhance 30 by 30-type initiatives in the United States and internationally.

Attendees will also participate in workshops designed to identify areas for further research concerning how to promote implementation of the Biden administration’s America the Beautiful Initiative and other important 30 by 30-related initiatives at the local level.

The 2023 Jamie Grodsky Prize for Environmental Scholarship will also be presented to the best paper on environmental law written by a GW Law student during the 2022 calendar year.

Learn more about the Shapiro Symposium on the GW Law website.

Past Events (October 22-January 2023)

GW Perspectives on the Inflation Reduction Act

October 12, 2022

The Environmental and Energy Law Program and the Government Procurement Program held a virtual panel discussion about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) where four experts on the GW Law faculty reflected on how the IRA impacts their areas of expertise. Professor Robert Glicksman commented on how the IRA affects Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory authority under the Clean Air Act and whether the Act confirms or overrules Massachusetts v. EPA or West Virginia v. EPA; Assistant Dean Donna Attanasio addressed whether the IRA’s incentives to decarbonize the energy sector and promote renewable energy sources will be effective and equitable; Assistant Dean Randall Abate examined how the IRA seeks to support environmental justice communities and evaluated potential barriers to the success of those efforts; and Professor Steven Schooner discussed how the IRA impacts sustainable government procurement initiatives. The webinar recording can be found on the Government Procurement Program’s Beyond the FAR.

Environmental Justice in a Moment of New Opportunities and Challenges

October 28, 2022

Professor Clifford J. Villa presented "Environmental Justice in a Moment of New Opportunities and Challenges." His presentation provided an introduction to the history and theory of environmental justice and reviewed recent developments under the Biden administration and across the states. Find the full abstract on our events page.

Strategies and Tactics for Young People in Fighting Climate Change

November 1, 2022

The Environmental and Energy Law Program and the GW Sustainability Institute hosted a panel of environmentally focused student groups across the GW campus during Global Youth Climate Week. Student organization representatives shared what their organizations are doing to help the planet and how young people can get involved and join the movement.

Energy Law Affects Lives: Extreme Weather, Keeping the Lights on, and Why Environmental Lawyers Should Know about Energy

November 9, 2022

Students sat down with Commissioner Allison Clements of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for an intimate discussion on November 9, 2022. The topic “Energy Law Affects Lives: Extreme Weather, Keeping The Lights On, and Why Environmental Lawyers Should Know About Energy” touched on the work of FERC, states, and industry. Student moderators, Julia Kiley, President of the Environmental and Energy Law Association, and Maggie Sullivan, Senior Managing Editor of GW Law’s Journal of Energy and Environmental Law, led the discussion and moderated audience questions.

“This was a great event to learn about energy law and how a career in energy regulation can provide a meaningful impact on the lives of so many people,” said Ms. Kiley after the event. “A point that was particularly interesting was about energy justice and how it differs from environmental justice. This was something that I had never really thought about before this event but an important distinction was drawn and I am looking forward to seeing how FERC works with these issues going forward.” Following the discussion with Commissioner Clements, alumni and faculty joined the students for a networking and social hour. The crowd of about 45 energy lawyers, current and future, enjoyed reconnecting with old acquaintances and meeting new ones. It was the first in-person post-COVID event for GW Law’s Energy Connectors alumni group.

Solar for All

November 14, 2022

Although Washington, D.C., is the seat of the nation’s capital, it is also the hometown for a diverse and engaged population. On November 14, the Energy Law program sponsored a lunch-time viewing of an award-winning documentary film, “D.C. Solar for All.” The film charts the difficult journey of the D.C. Department of Environment and Energy, and its many partners, in bringing D.C.’s ambitious Solar for All initiative to life. The program aims to give 100,000 low-income households access to solar and a 50 percent reduction in their utility bills. Professor Mary Cheh, who served as Ward 3’s councilwoman for 16 years, pending her 2023 retirement from the Council, then explained the origins of the program and provided context for the D.C. Council’s decision to set such an ambitious agenda. Professor Cheh has been a champion and driving force behind D.C.’s progressive clean energy program. Due to the program’s success, the lowest-income wards in Washington, D.C., are now producing the most solar energy.

Advocating for Animal Protection in an Interconnected Global Economy

November 15, 2022

The Environmental and Energy Law Program and the Animal Legal Education Initiative hosted Dr. Carolina Maciel for a discussion on domestic regulatory measures adopted to protect animals from cruel practices that can result in some degree of restriction on international trade. The talk explored the reasoning for challenges under the multilateral legal framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and examined two WTO disputes concerning animal protection measures. The recording can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Distinguished Lecture on Global Climate Change and Energy Law

November 17, 2022

The Environmental and Energy Law Program hosted the inaugural J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Distinguished Lecture on Global Climate Change and Energy Law. This lecture series invites globally recognized environmental and energy law experts to address cutting-edge issues on climate change and energy law and policy. GW Law had the honor and privilege of hosting Dr. Damilola Olawuyi as its inaugural distinguished lecturer. His presentation, “The Search for Climate and Energy Justice in the Global South: Shifting from Global Aspirations to Local Realization,” addressed whether climate and energy justice can be secured if those most vulnerable to climate and energy insecurity are not adequately protected with human rights-based safeguards. Read more about Dr. Olawuyi’s lecture from our program’s article and on the publication The Nigeria Lawyers.

The Plight of Climate Refugees: Rising Seas, Melting Ice, and Inadequate Legal Protections Lecture

January 18, 2023

Assistant Dean Randall Abate spoke about how climate change impacts continue to displace vulnerable communities around the world with increasing frequency and intensity. The lecture examined how existing domestic and international legal frameworks are inadequate to confront the unfolding global climate change displacement crisis. Dean Abate recommended that the global community needs to bridge the divide between international environmental law and international human rights law frameworks to address this pressing issue at the forefront of global climate change adaptation and resilience. This event was co-hosted with the Environmental and Energy Law Association and the International Law Society at GW Law. Learn more about Dean Abate’s lecture here.

PEOPLE NEWS

Congratulations to Christina Morgan, JD ’22, for winning the 2022 Grodsky Environmental Scholarship Prize for her paper “Using Uganda's Regulations as the Basis for a Standalone Legal Mechanism to Regulate Access to and Benefit-Sharing of Biological Resources and Traditional Knowledge in the United Republic of Tanzania”. Learn more about the prize and paper.
Congratulations to Priya Patel, JD ’22, for publication of her article “Energy Equity: A Framework for Evaluating Solar Programs Targeting Low-Income Communities” in the Energy Law Journal.
Congratulations to GW Law LLM alumna and former Energy Law Scholar and Research Associate Adrienne Thompson on her election to partner at Troutman Pepper.

SCHOLARSHIP NEWS

Publications and Presentations of Environmental and Energy Law Faculty, Deans, and Affiliates

Randall Abate, Assistant Dean for Environmental Law Studies

Book Chapter

“Climate Change Communication in Kolkata: Applying Communication Theories to Address Climate Change Displacement,” in Climate Change and Risk in South and Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2022) (co-authored with Lisha Samuel)

Presentations & Panels

Lecture, “Climate Change and the Protection of Future Generations: Can the Courts Save the Kids?” University of Florida Pre-Legal Honor Society (Dec. 7, 2022)
Lecture, “Animal Law and Environmental Law: Parallels and Synergies,” Pace University School of Law (White Plains, NY, Nov. 14, 2022)
Lecture, “Climate Change and the Protection of Future Generations: Can the Courts Save the Kids?” Global Policy, Diplomacy, and Sustainability Fellowship Program (Nov. 14, 2022)
Lecture “Climate Refugees: Rising Seas, Melting Ice, and Inadequate Legal Protections,” CUNY School of Law (Queens, NY, Nov. 11, 2022)
Lecture, “Climate Change and the Voiceless: Protecting Future Generations, Wildlife, and Natural Resources,” Seton Hall Law School (Newark, NJ, Nov. 10, 2022)
Lecture, “Climate Refugees: Rising Seas, Melting Ice, and Inadequate Legal Protections,” Temple University School of Law (Philadelphia, PA, Nov. 10, 2022)
Lecture, “Climate Change and the Voiceless: Protecting Future Generations, Wildlife, and Natural Resources,” University of Baltimore School of Law (Baltimore, MD, Nov. 9, 2022)
Lecture, “Animal Law and Environmental Law: Parallels and Synergies,” University of Maryland School of Law (Baltimore, MD, Nov. 9, 2022)
Lecture, “Climate Change and the Voiceless: Protecting Future Generations, Wildlife, and Natural Resources,” Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center (Fort Lauderdale, FL, Oct. 26, 2022)
Lecture, “Climate Change and the Voiceless: Protecting Future Generations, Wildlife, and Natural Resources,” Rollins College (Winter Park, FL, Oct. 25, 2022)
Lecture, “Youth and Indigenous Climate Justice Litigation in the U.S. and Canada,” Barry University School of Law (Orlando, FL, Oct. 24, 2022)
Lecture, “Climate Washing, Corporate Accountability, and Human Rights,” Intercultural Human Rights Symposium, St. Thomas University School of Law (Miami Gardens, FL, Oct. 21, 2022)

Donna Attanasio, Assistant Dean for Energy Law

Presentations & Panels

Panelist, “Energy Justice and Beyond: What about the Energy Consumer in the Energy Transition?” Energy Transition Conference: What Evolving Legal Frameworks Mean for Us and the U.S. Energy Grid, American Bar Association Section on Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources (Washington, D.C., November 4, 2022)
Moderator, “Energizing the Energy Law Conference: What Does an Equitable Energy Transition Look Like?” American Bar Association Section on Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources webinar (Washington, D.C., October 14, 2022)

Robert Glicksman, J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law

Articles and Publications

Protecting the Public Health with the Inflation Reduction Act—Provisions Affecting Climate Change and Its Health Effects, New England J. of Medicine, (Dec. 21, 2022)
The New Separation of Powers Formalism and Administrative Adjudication, 90 Geo. Wash. L. Rev.1088 (2022) (with R. Levy)
Enhancing Environmental Enforcement by Example and Erudition, 36 J. Land Use & Envtl. L. 191 (published Dec. 7, 2022)
30 x 30—Conservation and the Multiple-Use Agencies, 68 Nat. Resources & Energy L. Inst. 34-1 (2022) (with S. Zellmer)
The Clean Water Act’s 50th Anniversary: Nine Key Reforms for Clean Water Today (Nov. 2022)
Adjudicating the Future of Agency Adjudication, 48 Admin. & Regulatory L. News 3 (Fall 2022) (with R. Levy)
Preview of Sackett v. EPA, Geo. Wash. L. Rev. On the Docket (2022)

Presentations & Panels

Participant, Workshop, Judicial Remedies and Agency Actions, George Mason University Law School (Arlington, VA, Nov. 18, 2022)
Speaker, Forum on Permitting Reform for Energy Infrastructure Projects, American Enterprise Institute (Washington, D.C. Oct. 28, 2022)
Presentation, Protecting Public Health Through U.S. Climate Action: Making Sense of the Shifting Landscape After West Virginia v. EPA and the Inflation Reduction Act, Milken Institute School of Public Health, GW University (Washington, D.C., Oct. 13, 2022)

LeRoy Paddock, Distinguished Professorial Lecturer in Environmental Law

Articles and Publications

Extended Producer Responsibility: It's Time to Embrace the Concept, ABA Seer Nat. Res. & Env’t (2022)

Steve Schooner, Nash and Cibinic Professor of Government Procurement Law

Presentations and Panels

Plenary Reflections on "Advancing Sustainable Contracting," World Commerce and Contracting Academic Symposium (Dec. 13-14, 2022)
Panelist, "Addressing Climate Change Through Procurement," Government Contract Management Symposium (Bethesda, MD, Dec. 5, 2022)

Accolade

Professor Schooner was appointed as an inaugural member and commissioner of the federal advisory committee tasked to “focus on driving regulatory, policy, and process changes to embed climate and sustainability considerations in federal acquisition.” Read more about his appointment in this GW News article.

Johanna Adashek, Visiting Associate Professor and Environmental Law Fellow

Presentations & Panels

Moderator, “Montana and New York: Impact of an Environmental Rights Amendment” (Nov. 15, 2022)
Moderator, “Strategies and Tactics for Young People in Fighting Climate Change” (Nov. 1, 2022)