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Sustainable Energy Initiative: An Energy Law Research Hub
Through the Sustainable Energy Initiative, GW Law seeks to help move the needle through research and engagement. A high value is also placed on collaboration across disciplines.
Foundations for Improving Resilience in the Energy Sector Against Wildfires on Alaskan Lands (FIREWALL) is a multi-disciplinary collaborative project that has been exploring the intersection of wildfires, electric systems, and health. The project’s first workshop on September 15, 2021 capped a year of investigative meetings and presentations designed to generate new ideas for understanding, navigating, and adapting to the increased impact of wildfires on Alaska. Donna Attanasio, Senior Advisor for Energy Law Programs, is part of the project’s lead team. Austin Himes, Class of ’22, assisted by developing a detailed background paper on the Alaskan electric system and regulation. The project team members are affiliated with Sustainable GW (representing multiple GW schools); the University of Alaska, Anchorage; and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Navigating the New Arctic program.
Sustainable GW’s energy equity project is entering its second year. This project, also funded by the National Science Foundation, seeks to deepen knowledge of energy inequity issues in Washington, D.C., and of the means through which technology, such as solar and microgrids, can promote equity. Ms. Attanasio is a lead participant in this project as well. The work has been facilitated through an advisory group composed of community representatives. Priya Patel, Class of ’22, has been working with Ms. Attanasio on a parallel project comparing the success of government-led solar programs in Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and Los Angeles in relieving excessive energy burdens and promoting energy equity.
During the 2020-21 academic year, Ms. Attanasio also served as a consultant on a project investigating the hurdles to realizing results from New Jersey’s ambitious town center microgrid program. n
Energy Law Advisory Council
GW Law’s Energy Law Advisory Council (ELAC) recently welcomed three new members. The new members are Jane Rueger, a partner at Perkins Coie; Kenneth Minesinger, JD ’90, a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig; and Karen M. Hardwick, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for WGL Holdings, Inc. and Washington Gas. The council is now chaired by J. Andrew Murphy, JD ’87, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Edison International. ELAC is the program’s primary source of ongoing strategic and financial support.
Chairman
J. Andrew “Drew” Murphy, JD ’87, Edison International
Council Members
Noel W. Black, Southern Company Charles A. Berardesco, JD ’83
George “Chip” D. Cannon, Jr., JD ’94, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP Douglas E. Davidson, JD ’71 Emily S. Fisher, Edison Electric Institute Kevin C. Fitzgerald, JD ’91, Plymouth Investments LLC Daniel Hagan, White & Case LLP Emma F. Hand, Dentons U.S. LLP Karen M. Hardwick, WGL Holdings, Inc. and Washington Gas Kenneth Minesinger, JD ’90, Greenberg Traurig Todd Mullins, JD ’89, McGuire Woods
Earle H. O’Donnell, JD ’75
Daniel J. Oginsky, JD ’99, Heartmonics Holdings LLC Jane E. Rueger, Perkins Coie LLP Daniel F. Stenger, JD ’80, Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP n
Alumni and Student Appointed to Energy Bar Association Board
Congratulations to Nina Wu, 3L, on her election as student representative to the Energy Bar Association’s (EBA) Board of Directors at the EBA’s annual meeting Nina Wu, Class of 22 in May. Also new to the board were GW Law alumni Donna Byrne and Mark Kalpin, as well as Emily Fisher, who received undergraduate and master’s degrees from GW and serves on GW Law’s Energy Law Advisory Council. The new EBA Treasurer is LLM grad Rick Smead. We also congratulate GW Law Energy Law Advisory Council members Emma Hand (ABA delegate) and Jane Rueger (ex-officio, past-president). EBA is an ABA-affiliated international association of energy law attorneys and other energy professionals. n
Faculty in the News
Glen Earl Weston Professor Emily Hammond was appointed Deputy General Counsel for Litigation and Enforcement in the Office of General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy. Professor Hammond will be on leave from GW Law during their tenure at DOE. Professor Hammond’s academic research and policy work have focused on administrative law, energy law, and environmental law, Professor Emily with an emphasis on Hammond transparency and public participation in regulatory processes, the role of science in agency decision-making, and governance structures for mitigating climate change—ideal for the current position. We wish Professor Hammond great success at DOE and look forward to welcoming them back when their public service work concludes. n
Professors Pierce and Glicksman Among Top 30 Most-Cited Public Law Faculty
The GW Law Environmental and Energy Program is delighted to have two of our professors among the top 30 most-cited public law faculty in the United States. The periodic ranking by University of Chicago’s Brian Leiter excludes constitutional and election law but covers a wide range of public law topics.
Richard Pierce, Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law, is the author of more than 20 books and 130 articles on administrative law, government regulation, and the effects of various forms of government intervention on the performance of markets. His work has been cited in hundreds of judicial opinions, including over a dozen opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Professor Pierce is listed as the seventh most-cited public law faculty member in the United States.
Robert L. Glicksman, J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law, is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on environmental, natural resources, and administrative law issues. Professor Glicksman has written multiple casebooks, numerous book chapters, and scores of articles on environmental, natural resources, and administrative law topics, most recently on alternative ways to allocate regulatory authority, climate change, federalism issues in environmental law, the challenges facing the federal land management agencies, and environmental enforcement. Professor Glicksman is listed as the 22nd mostcited public law faculty member in the United States. For more information about their work, see our Publications Roundup. n
Professor Robert L. Glicksman Professor Richard Pierce
Professor Schaffner Leads ABA Call for International Animal Welfare Treaty
Joan E. Schaffner, Associate Professor of Law, led a group resolution, adopted by the ABA House of Delegates in February, calling on the U.S. Department of State to lead negotiation of an international convention for the protection of animals to protect public health, the environment, and animal well-being. The report supporting the resolution explains the relationship between zoonotic diseases and human mistreatment of animals, focusing on wildlife trade and destruction of natural habitats by human activity and climate change. COVID-19, AIDS, SARS, Nipah virus, and Ebola all affect animals and can be transmitted to humans. The One Health concept, embraced by the U.N. and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recognizes the interconnection between public health, the environment, and animal welfare, but currently no treaty supports even minimal standards of animal welfare. n
Professor Joan E. Schaffner
Lecturers Featured in Energy Bar Association Podcasts
Regina Speed-Bost and Robert (Bob) Solomon, Professorial Lecturers in Law, teach GW Law’s entry-level class Energy Law and Regulation. For many students, these are the first professors who help them shape how they think about energy. Both recently shared their views and experiences through the Energy Bar Association’s (EBA) Energy Exchange podcast series with EBA President Mosby Perrow. Listen to the podcast at https://www.eba-net.org/resources/eba-podcasts. Regina Speed-Bost, Professorial Lecturer in Law, spoke on leadership, diversity, courage, and small-firm practice in September 2021. Drawn from her own experience as a Black woman navigating her way through top-tier schools and the world of big law, Ms. Speed-Bost’s interview included important insights on race as well as ideas for how to have discussions about race. Robert (Bob) Solomon, Professorial Lecturer in Law, spoke on the importance and challenges of representing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, jurisdictional boundaries, and life-work balance, including amusing discussions of the 1986 MTV awards, hiking, and campaign buttons. Watch both interviews online at https://www.eba-net.org/ resources/eba-podcasts. n
Professor Regina Speed-Bost
Professor Robert Solomon
Harvey Reiter Receives Tikkun Olam Award
Harvey Reiter, Professorial Lecturer in Law and a partner in Stinson LLP’s Washington, D.C., office, received the Jewish Council for Public Affair 2020 Tikkun Olam Award for Public Service. The award recognizes his extraordinary commitment to public service and extensive pro bono work, including serving on the advisory board of Tzedek D.C., a Professor Harvey Reiter nonprofit organization providing pro bono legal assistance on debt issues to low-income residents. Professor Rieter teaches Regulated Industries at GW Law. n
Code Red from page 1 students accordingly. We are striving to ensure they will graduate with the tools and skills necessary to solve these problems, without causing additional issues, and before it’s too late. Fortunately, we offer a large variety of environmental and energy law courses for students to choose from and our professors are on the job. Former World Bank Environmental and International Law Chief Counsel Charles Di Leva teaches International Climate Change. David Muraskin discusses the impact climate change will have on crop production in his Food and Agriculture course. Brett Grosko’s Wildlife and Ecosystems Law course discusses the threat of climate change to biodiversity; and Lin Harmon-Walker’s Comparative and Global Environmental Law and Policy course focuses on climate change and other environmental disasters, their effects on poor and marginalized communities worldwide, and the rise of innovative laws and policies. Our courses also look broadly at the implications of energy use and how energy can be part of the solution, including our newest offerings Electricity Grid of the Future and Offshore Wind (see page 1 article on curriculum changes). We will continue to add to our curriculum as new developments arise.
It is vital that we continue to build a strong community here at GW Law among students, faculty, and alumni so that we can work together to solve these issues. We always welcome our alumni to GW to speak about their work and share their wisdom with students. We can’t solve all the world’s issues in a day, but what we can do as a community is equip the environmental and energy lawyers of the future with the legal and policy tools they will need to effect positive change. n
