There are many exciting panel discussions and conferences on environmental law topics in the next few week! Below is a sampling of some of the many events that are happening in and around New York City that may be of interest.
Developing Offshore Wind Projects — March 22 from 12:30 – 2:30 PM, The City Bar Association
Already being realized in Europe and elsewhere, offshore wind projects offer the prospect of clean and abundant domestic energy supplies. But unresolved legal, commercial and policy issues pose significant challenges to the development of these projects in the United States. In this program, a diverse group of industry participants will discuss recent developments and offer their perspectives and prescriptions on the outlook for offshore wind projects, both in the State of New York and elsewhere in the U.S.
The program is open to the public, but seating is limited and prior reservations are required. There is no charge for this presentation. A simple lunch will be available.
Kindly RSVP to Ernest Chung at echung@blankrome.com or (212) 885-5447.
Panelists:
Chip Carstensen, Managing Director, NordDeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale AG
Brandi Colander, Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council
Scott Keating, General Manager Sales, North America, Vestas Offshore
KC Sahl, New York State Director Offshore Wind, NRG Bluewater Wind
Panel Co-Chairs:
Joan Bondareff, Blank Rome LLP
Robert M. Vilter, Reed Smith LLP
Climate Change, China and the WTO — March 30 from 6:30-8:30 PM, Columbia Law School
In December 2010, the United States initiated a landmark dispute at the WTO challenging a range of Chinese subsidies to domestic renewable energy manufacturers. Although the dispute is currently still in the consultation phase, it represents a significant step by the United States government and could be a harbinger of things to come as China continues its aggressive push towards clean energy infrastructure and development. What are the environmental, economic and geopolitical implications of this case? Join distinguished panelists for a wide-ranging discussion of the dispute and its context within international trade law and economics.
THE PANELISTS:
Joseph Stiglitz, University Professor, Columbia University; Chair,
Columbia University Committee on Global Thought; Nobel Laureate in Economics
Robert Howse, Lloyd C. Nelson Professor of International Law, New
York University School of Law
Andrew Shoyer, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Former Counsel, Office of
the United States Trade Representative
MODERATOR:
Michael Gerrard, Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice;
Director, Columbia Center for Climate Change Law
No RSVP required
Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Columbia Law School, 435 W. 116th St. (at Amsterdam Ave.)
Jerome Greene Hall Room 104
New York, New York
Cornell Environmental Law Society Energy Conference — March 31-April 2, Ithaca NY
Gas Drilling, Sustainability & Energy Policy: Searching for Common Ground
The conference will explore the legal, scientific, and business perspectives on Shale Gas Development and hydraulic fracturing (“hydrofracking”). This issue has ignited a fierce battle over energy and the environment in New York State. Eight fast-paced and interactive panels will use natural gas drilling as a lens to explore national energy policy, the global energy market, and the
integral role the law must play in creating energy security and ensuring a sustainable future. The conference brings together over 45 distinguished speakers from Cornell University and around the country working in law, science, business, and government from all sides of the energy debate.
Location: Cornell Law School, Myron Taylor & Anabel Taylor Hall,
Ithaca, New York
Dates: Thursday evening, March 31 – Saturday evening, April 2
Register: www.lawschool.cornell.edu/research/ELS/index.cfm
New York City as a Sustainable City — April 7 from 5-7PM at Columbia Law School
New York City is, to the surprise of many, one of the most energy-efficient places in the United States– the energy consumption and carbon dioxide output of New Yorkers is one-quarter of the national average, and the city is on target to meet a number of sustainability goals in the next 20 years, including planting one million new trees (of which more than 300,000 have been planted in the last three years) and converting an entire fleet of over 10,000 taxicabs to fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrids. But with close to 20
million people living in the Tri-State area, the continued sustainability of such an environment is still a constant concern.
The panel, moderated by Steve Cohen, Executive Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University and Director, M.S. Sustainability Management, will feature David Bragdon, Director of the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability for the New York City Mayor’s Office; Cas Holloway, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection; Bill Solecki, Director of the CUNY Institute of Sustainable Cities; and Ester Fuchs, Founder of the Center for Urban Research and Policy and Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. We invite you to come listen to the panel’s participants as they discuss both signs of progress and deficiencies in the effort of make New York City a sustainable city, touching on government initiatives in this area as well as the role of the private sector.
Though issues of sustainability are being recognized on an increasingly global scale, it is local actions that will likely provide many of the solutions to these large-scale problems. Find out from the panel’s speakers, decision-makers and experts in urban sustainability, how New York City can play a large leadership role in this transformation.
To RSVP, please contact Andrea Schecter at aschecter@ei.columbia.edu or 212-851-0772. The event will be held in the Faculty Room in Low Library on Columbia University’s Morningside Campus.
NYC Environmental Law 