TERM TWO

The engineering realities of energy infrastructure systems can greatly constrain the choices that lawyers and policy analysts might otherwise make. This module will cover the engineering fundamentals inherent in electric power grids and will explain how these engineering realities affect market and regulatory choices.

MODULE B: BUSINESS ESSENTIALS ENV5511

This module will explore the key aspects related to the finances of the electric grid with a particular focus on understanding energy project finance and economics, including how they relate to a utilities revenue requirement. The course will introduce students to basic financial statements, the importance of understanding tax impacts, and how to construct and evaluate a basic financial model for a distributed energy project, such as a solar or storage energy resource.

MODULE C: LEGAL ESSENTIALS ENV5512

With the rise in urgency to address the climate crisis, the U.S. will need to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy. This module will examine this transition in the power sector, exploring in practice how the power of law and policy can be brought to bear through clean energy advocacy to make much-needed progress on our climate goals. Through classroom discussion and exercises, this course will use real case studies related to “hot” issues for today’s electricity regulators, stakeholders, and market participants; and explore substantive policy and skills-based knowledge, demonstrating how practitioners in the field are advancing clean energy policies at the national, regional, state and local levels.

FOREST POLICY AND LAW (1 CREDIT) ENV5315

june 4, 12:45–6:30 pm; june 5 and 6, 8:30 am–6:30 pm Thomas McHenry This course will introduce students to the significant policy and legal issues affecting forests and forest management, using the forests of New England as a case study. Topics to be discussed include the management of forests on private and public lands, forest fragmentation and biodiversity loss, the impact of invasive species, recreational and other evolving forest uses, and the implications and impact of climate change. The course will introduce these issues through classroom and field study and will focus on how federal, state, and local laws and policies address these issues. Law and policy regimes considered in the class will include land use regulations, incentives and taxation (current use), timber sales, marketing and import/export restrictions, wildlife management, and tourism.

TERM TWO: 2 See individual course descriptions for class dates and times. GLOBAL ENERGY LAW AND POLICY

(2 CREDITS) ENV5230

june 21–24 and june 28–july 1, 9 am–noon Anna Marhold

Global Energy Law and Policy explores the current policy framework in a particular region outside of the United States with a focus on clean energy policies. The course will explore the region’s policy development process, the current energy policy framework, policies implementing global and regional climate commitments and emerging issues.

(2 CREDITS) ENV5474

june 21–24 and june 28–july 1, 9 am–noon Jessica Jay ’97 Increasingly important in our efforts to protect ecological diversity, climate resiliency, historic places, working lands, scenic viewsheds, open spaces, and public uses of land are conservation tools and processes such as donation of conservation easements, purchase of sensitive lands, and private/public partnerships for land conservation. Students will research and review the swiftly developing body of law and legal issues accompanying the use of conservation easements and will gain a practical understanding of both the legal and nonlegal dimensions of land conservation transactions involving conservation easements. In addition, students will actively engage in the progression of a conservation easement transaction, beginning with early negotiations, drafting, and financial/tax analysis, and proceeding along a spectrum to donation, amendment and termination evaluation, violation, and enforcement. Each student will be responsible for engaging in role-playing exercises throughout the conservation transaction process to assess various financial/tax scenarios, identify and resolve disputes related to the conservation transaction, and negotiate and draft a conservation easement.

LAW OF ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

(2 CREDITS) ENV5472

june 21–24 and june 28–july 1, 9 am–noon J.B. Ruhl and James Salzman The concept of ecosystem management is sweeping through federal and state resource agencies, altering their orientation toward resource use and conservation issues, but what is the law of ecosystem management? This course explores that question beginning with an introduction to the concept of ecosystem management—its history, principles, and current state of play in concrete policy settings. The course then explores laws and regulations relating to the types of ecosystems often described in ecosystem management literature—such as forests, coastal and marine, and human dominated (e.g., agricultural, urban, recreational). We also examine management of ecosystem services. Perspectives of agencies, resource users, environmental groups, and other interest groups will be explored in the discussion of problems the instructor has developed to capstone each unit.

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES

(2 CREDITS) ENV5480

june 21–24 and june 28–july1, 1–4 pm Deborah L. Harris

Environmental crime is the most common federal offense committed by U.S. corporations, and among the most profitable criminal activity in the world. Explore this specialized practice, from the relevant investigative agencies, through the benefits of “speaking” indictments, to the applicable federal sentencing guidelines. Students will examine the major pollution prevention and wildlife protection statutes, as well as the Title 18 offenses with which they are most often paired (e.g., conspiracy, false statements, obstruction of justice). Learn how these cases are used to change industry practice and raise public awareness of conduct that threatens human health and the environment.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

(2 CREDITS) ENV5446

june 21–24 and june 28–july 1, 1–4 pm Veronica Eady Since 1979, the environmental justice movement is aimed at avoiding, minimizing, or mitigating disproportionately adverse human health and environmental impacts, including social and economic impacts, on minority, indigenous, and/or lowincome communities, and for those communities to be engaged meaningfully in environmental decision-making processes. This course examines this environmental and public health problem. It explores how environmental justice concerns are framed and addressed/resolved through, among