Summer Session

Renewable Energy Law and Policy 948-MS1

Renewable power is the cornerstone of the federal government’s push for a new “smart” energy infrastructure in the U.S.  Moreover, many states are implementing a palette of renewable energy incentives.  This first course in the renewable sequence is a hands-on navigation through real-world legal problems related to implementing renewable options. The course will cover various policies that states and the federal government have employed to incentivize or mandate renewables, including the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act, renewable portfolio standards, feed-in-tariffs, net metering and similar programs. After establishing the fundamentals, students will be divided into several private and municipal stakeholder groups, and go through a hands-on simulation of a developer and landlord trying to site a renewable energy facility in an increasingly uncooperative town.   This will not overlap with what might have been covered in any environmental course you might have taken, but instead tap local and state legal techniques to use against a power project.  The Professor will attempt to supply course-specific material, so that purchase of a book will not be required.  Evaluation of class participation in the simulations, as well as a take-home exam, will be the basis for grading.  This course is designed to coordinate with Fundamentals of Energy Law taught the same week, as well as provide the foundation for the various renewable energy courses which follow in successive weeks.