Events
2013 Events at the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment
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Environmental Law and Energy & Clean Technology Law Certificate Ceremony
Friday, May 10, 20132:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Room 100, Boalt Hall
Please join Berkeley Law Faculty at the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment in honoring the 2013 recipients of the Berkeley Law Certificate of Specialization in Environmental Law and Certificate of Specialization in Energy & Clean Technology Law.
Family and friends of certificate recipients are warmly invited. Refreshments will be served.
Fracking in California: Regulation of Produced Water and Potential Water Impacts
Thursday, April 18, 20135:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Latham & Watkins LLP,
355 South Grand Ave.,
Los Angeles, CA 90071
CLEE and the Wheeler Institute for Water Law & Policy present "Fracking in California", an informative yet balanced panel on the regulation of hydraulic fracking in California, focusing on wastewater and potential water impacts. This panel will also discuss a forthcoming report on fracking and water impacts produced by Berkeley Law's Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) through its new Wheeler Institute for Water Law & Policy. 1.5 hours of MCLE credit will be provided.
Speakers & Panelists Include:
- Sam Unger, Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board
- Damon Nagami, NRDC;
- Rock Zierman, California Independent Petroleum Association
- Paul Singarella, Latham & Watkins LLP;
- Jayni Foley Hein, Berkeley Law;
- Mike Kiparsky, Berkeley Law;
Please RSVP by April 16 to: rsvp@law.berkeley.edu or (510) 643-9277.
Unplugged: The Renewable Energy Speaker Series
The Smart Grid: What Is It and Why Should We Care? 
April 17, 2013
UC Berkeley School of Law
Goldberg Room
297 Boalt Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720
Register here
Registration: 4:30 pm (Pacific Time)
Program: 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm (Pacific Time)
Reception:6:30 pm - 7:00 pm (Pacific Time)
What does the smart grid have to do with renewable energy? According to most experts, quite a lot. While many believe that our current electrical transmission and distribution grid can support the California's Renewables Portfolio Standard goal of 33 percent renewable generation by 2020, experts generally agree that to achieve significantly higher percentages, we must make our grid "smart".
In this first of a three-panel smart grid mini-series, energy infrastructure experts will explore the nuts-and-bolts of the smart grid transformation: what it is, how it differs from the existing grid, what it will enable, and how we get there.
Moderator:
- Carl Zichella, Director of Western Transmission, Land & Wildlife Program, Natural Resources Defense Council
Panel:
- Kevin Dasso, Senior Director of Smart Grid and Technology Integration, PG&E
- Heather Sanders, Director Smart Grid Technologies and Strategy, CAISO
- Sonita Lontoh, Head of Marketing, Trilliant
2013 Environment & Energy Law Speaker Series
At the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment
*All panels begin at 12:45pm * Lunch will be served
This series is sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati LLP.
Panel 1: Electrochemical experts on “The Technology of Cleantech: Batteries and Fuel Cells” (Wednesday, February 20 in Room 105)
Ever wonder how fuel cells and batteries actually work? Join BERC and CLEE as we explore the science of clean technology with Gao Liu of the Electrochemical Technologies Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Heather Buckley of the Arnold Group, U.C. Berkeley Department of Chemistry
Panel 2: Reporters David Baker, Kiera Butler, and Edwin Dobb on “Environmental and Energy Journalism” (Tuesday, February 26 in Room 105)
Journalists play a vital role in educating the public about environmental issues, including environmental law and policy. A panel of experienced journalists from the SF Chronicle, Mother Jones, National Geographic and more will speak about communicating complex scientific and legal issues, working with attorneys, and the energy/environmental stories that resonate most today.
Panel 3: Patti Goldsmith of Earthjustice on Citizen Power to Obtain Justice (Wednesday, March 6 in Room 132). .jpg)
Patti Goldsmith, Vice President for Litigation at Earthjustice, will speak about citizen enforcement as an important feature of environmental compliance, the essential elements of citizen suits, and recent attacks on citizen access to courts and justice.
Panel 4: EBCLC and SELC on “Practitioner’s Perspectives on Community Economic Justice” (Thursday, March 14 in Room 110)
Sushil Jacob of East Bay Community Law Center, Janelle Orsi of the Sustainable Economies Law Center, Berkeley Law Professor Michelle Anderson, and Tim Huet of the Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives will describe their experience working on community economic justice issues. Part of the annual Environmental Justice Symposium. Co-sponsored by CLEE and SEEJ.
Panel 5: CLEE Directors and Staff on “Current Research: Hydraulic Fracking, Electric Vehicles, and More” (Tuesday, April 2 in Room 134)
CLEE carries out interdisciplinary law and policy research addressing pressing environmental issues at the State, local and national levels. Learn about CLEE’s projects, research assistant opportunities, events, and more.

Ready, Set, Bid: Previewing California's First Greenhouse Gas Auction
Thursday, November 8, 5:30pm -7:30pm
Berkeley Law, Room 12
The wait is finally over. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is set to hold its first auction of carbon allowances in the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) cap-and-trade program on November 14, 2012. CARB held a successful “practice auction” this past August. Revenue raised from the auction will be invested in ways that further the goals of AB32, funding solutions that reduce pollution, increase clean energy generation, keep energy prices down or lessen the impacts of global warming.
Please join us on Thursday, November 8th as CLEE hosts a panel with cap-and-trade experts to discuss the mechanics of the auction, its goals, controversy and challenges surrounding the auction, and uses of the auction revenue. Panelists include:
- Holly Stout, California Air Resources Board
- Alex Jackson, NRDC
- Henry Stern, Office of State Senator Fran Pavley
- Deborah Lambe, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at Berkeley Law
This panel is co-sponsored by the Berkeley Energy Resources Collaborative (BERC) and BERC@Boalt.
Saving Public Transit: Strategies for an Era of Shrinking Budgets

Public transit in California and the nation—including the shuttles, buses, and passenger rail that serve our communities—has been battered by recession and dwindling public sector budgets. At the same time, ridership in many areas has spiked. This free conference at UCLA Law (co-sponsored by Berkeley Law) will highlight the challenges facing transit and explore solutions to overcome them and develop a world-class transit system. Art Leahy, Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Metro, will be the keynote speaker. Simulcast is available with registration. Attorneys attending the live event can earn 4.25 hours of MCLE credit.
UCLA School of Law
Friday, November 2, 2012
9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Conference Agenda
Register Here
Talk with U.S. EPA's Cynthia Giles ('78)
Berkeley Law Room 136
Thursday, October 25, 11am-12pm
Please join us for a discussion with current enforcement chief for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Cynthia Giles. Cynthia is a Berkeley Law graduate ('78). Ms. Giles was nominated by President Obama in 2009 as head of EPA Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and was confirmed by the Senate in May 2009. She will speak to a small group of law students about EPA's current work on "Next Generation Environmental Compliance." She will also share insights on her career and stories from her time at Berkeley Law and as a member of Ecology law Quarterly.
You can read more about her in this Berkeley Law feature. There will be ample time for Q & A, so bring your questions! Please RSVP in advance, as space is limited.
Mountaintop Removal and Human Rights in Appalachia
Berkeley Law Room 100
Wednesday, October 24
12:45 PM - 1:50 PM
CLEE, the Human Rights Center, and Students for Environmental and Economic Justice (SEEJ) will host Junior Walk, coalfield resident and activist. Mr. Walk will speak about the practice of mountaintop removal in West Virginia and Appalachia, its impact on human and environmental health, and its contentious role in supporting local economies.
Lunch will be provided by CLEE. Co-sponsored by BERC, CLEE, ELQ, ELS, HRC and SEEJ.
Environmental and Energy Law Careers

Learn about environmental and energy law careers from current non-profit, private sector, and government attorneys. Join us for lunch with these interesting speakers from Morrison Foerster, U.S. Department of Justice (Environment and Natural Resources Division), the Sierra Club, and more. Bring your questions! Lunch will be provided. Co-sponsored by CLEE, ELQ, ELS, BERC, and SEEJ.
Audio recording available here ![]()
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
12:45pm to 1:55pm
Room 145, Boalt Hall
CLEE and the Wheeler Institute Present at "Back to Boalt Day"

Back-to-Boalt Day on Saturday, September 22 will present a series of engaging panels on how Boalt Hall stands at the vanguard of change in legal education. For those celebrating reunions this year (graduating classes ending in 2 or 7) the evening will end with a festive dinner.
In the afternoon, Join Professors Dan Farber and Michelle Anderson as they discuss the evolution of environmental law education at Boalt, highlighting law and policy research by the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) and experiential opportunities available to students, including the Environmental Justice Practice Project. You will then hear from special guest Alf Brandt ('88), principal consultant to the California State Assembly specializing in California water resource law and policy. In addition, the Associate Director of the newly established Wheeler Institute for Water Law & Policy, Mike Kiparsky, will present on the Institute's work fostering innovation in water resource management.
Date: Saturday, September 22nd
Time: 2:15pm - 3:30pm (CLEE's panel)
Location: Room 130, Boalt Hall
Register here (registration required)
MCLE: 1 hour
Wind and Waves: The Future of Ocean Energy
Offshore renewable energy holds great promise. Recent studies estimate over 500 TW hours/year of wave energy are available along the U.S. West Coast alone with the potential for up to 900 GW of installed wind in the same waters. And although variable, offshore energy -- from wind, waves, currents, and tides -- is consistent and predictable enough to supply a significant portion of baseload demand. But important questions remain: how can these projects be sited to avoid impacts to sensitive marine life? Can the promise be delivered, and if so, when? Please join us as our distinguished panelists help develop answers based on their real-world experience as regulators, developers, and stake-holders for PG&E's WaveConnect project and the first U.S. offshore wind project, Cape Wind.
Date: Thursday, September 20th
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: 297 Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall
Register here
Moderator:
- David Ismay, Farella Braun + Martel LLP
Panel:
- William Toman, SAIC Maritime Solutions
- Laura Engeman, California Ocean Protection Council
- Leila Monroe, NRDC Oceans Program
MCLE: 1.5 hours
The Future of Electric Vehicles: A Capitol Hill Lunch Briefing in Washington DC and Policy Report Release

The environmental law centers at the UC Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law present a lunchtime discussion on policies necessary to stimulate long-term, mass consumer adoption of electric vehicle technologies. A panel discussion of electric vehicle experts and industry representatives will offer insight on the critical state and federal policy options necessary to boost electric vehicle deployment. This free event will coincide with the release of a report from the two law schools on electric vehicle policies suggested for industry and federal, state, and local governments. Complimentary lunch will be served.
Location: Hearing Room 2322, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC
Date: Monday, September 10th
Time: 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.
Click here to access the Webcast
Kindly RSVP by September 7th by clicking here.
Featured Speakers:
- Jay Friedland, Plug In America
- Colleen Quinn, Coulomb Technologies
- Tracy Woodard, Nissan
If you have any questions, please contact the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at clee@law.berkeley.edu or 510-643-7025.
CLEE Environmental and Energy Program Orientation
Tuesday, August 28, 2012 12:45pm-1:50pm.
Berkeley Law Room 134.
Please join CLEE's environmental law faculty and representatives from the environmental and energy student groups for a special introduction to the program. This lunch hour will introduce 1Ls, LLM students and other law students to our curriculum, professors, courses, journals and student groups. Student groups attending include BERC, ELQ, ELS, SEEJ and SALDF. You will also be able to sign-up for our environmental and energy student email list, where we distribute event and job announcements. We hope to see you there!
California's Path to Local Renewable Energy: Challenges, Solutions and Progress Toward Governor Brown's 12,000 Megawatt Goal
Berkeley Law's Center for Law, Energy & the Environment will host a webinar on challenges, solutions and progress toward Governor Brown's goal of attaining 12,000 megawatts of local renewable energy in California by 2020. The webinar will take place on Thursday, June 14, at 2:00 pm PDT.
We will discuss our new report on the major barriers to and policy recommendations for achieving the governor's local renewable energy goal. Report coauthors Steve Weissman and Jeff Russell will provide an overview of the report, which stems from a 2011 conference convened by Governor Brown. Wade Crowfoot, Deputy Director of the Governor's Office of Planning and Research, will discuss the state's progress toward the goal as well as actions the Governor's Office is taking to help clear the path for development of local renewable energy.
If you are interested in participating in the webinar, please register through the link below to receive instructions for joining.
If you have any questions, please send them to clee@law.berkeley.edu.
Celebrate summer with fellow alumni, students & friends in San Francisco!
Please join us for a CLEE Happy Hour at Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP on Thursday, June 28 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
This is a great chance to relax, network and mingle with fellow members of the Berkeley Law environmental and energy community in San Francisco. Connect with alums, meet new colleagues, grab a copy of our new Annual Report, and enjoy a drink. We hope to see you there! Refreshments and light snacks will be served.
Kindly RSVP by June 26 by clicking this link: Register Here
Date and Time: Thursday, June 28. 5pm to 7pm.
Location: Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, 555 California Street10th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104
If you have any questions, please contact the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at clee@law.berkeley.edu or 510-643-7025.
The Future of Infill: How CEQA Reform and the End of Redevelopment Will Affect Sustainable Development in California
What is the future of infill development in California in a time of limited public resources? This event will discuss proposals to reinvent redevelopment agencies to bolster infill and to create new methods of financing infill infrastructure. Speakers will also focus on recent efforts to streamline the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for infill projects and the implications of those for California's downtowns.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
11:45am to 1:30pm (Registration begins at 11:30am)
The Temple Ballroom, Capitol Plaza Ballrooms
1025 9th St, No. 201(Third Floor)
Sacramento, CA 95814 (see this map for directions)
Driving Directions
Lunch will be served
Keynote Address:
Panel presentation:
Please click on the name of a link for a pdf file.
- Chris Calfee, Governor's Office of Planning and Research
- Dan Carrigg, League of California Cities
- Ethan Elkind, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment
- Meea Kang, Domus Development California Infill Builders Federation
Presented by the UC Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law as part of the Climate Change and
Business Research Initiative. This Initiative develops policies that help business prosper in an era of climate change.
General Information
All attendees must register for the conference online. Registration badges must be worn at all times during the conference. It is your meal and event ticket.
RSVP by Monday, May 14 by clicking on this link. Space is limited.
Environmental and Energy & Clean Technology Law Certificate Ceremony.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
4pm-6pm. Berkeley Law Room 100. 
The certificate ceremony for environmental law certificate recipients and energy and clean technology law certificate recipients will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2012 from 4 to 6pm, in Boalt Hall Room 100. This ceremony is for both JD and LLM graduates. Family and friends are warmly invited.
Please RSVP to CLEE Administrator Caroline Cheng by Friday, May 4, 2012. ccheng@law.berkeley.edu.
CLEE 2012 SPRING SPEAKER SERIES
CLEE has partnered with the environmental and energy student groups at Berkeley Law to host the Spring Environment and Energy Speaker Series. This is a collaboration among CLEE, BERC, ELQ, ELS, SALDF, and SEEJ. The series is generously sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrch & Rosati LLP. The series poster is viewable here.
Speaker Series Schedule:
Monday, February 13, 2012
International Climate & Energy Collaborations
12:45pm | Boalt Hall Room 110
Join Gavis Purchas of ClimateWorks Foundation, John Romankiewicz of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab & Professor Alex Wang, visiting professor at Berkeley Law (formerly of NRDC in China), as they discuss international cooperation on clean energy and climate issues. Moderated by CLEE energy program director Steve Weissman. Organized by BERC, BCLT, and CLEE.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Dr. Kathryn Mengerink of the Environmental Law Institute on Fisheries Compliance in the U.S. and Internationally
12:45pm | Boalt Hall Room 244
Kathryn Mengerink, attorney and director of the Ocean Program at the Environmental Law Institute, discusses fisheries compliance and enforcement in the U.S. and internationally. Co-sponsored by the Institute for Legal Research, CLEE, and ELS.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
EJ and Conservation Advocates on Powerplant Clustering Litigation
12:45pm | Boalt Hall Room 141
Attorneys Brent Plater (Wild Equity Institute), Adrienne Block (Communities for a Better Environment) and Jonathan Evans (Center for Biological Diversity) discuss recent litigation concerning four power plants in Oakley and Antioch, which Plaintiffs allege violate the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act. Organized by ELS, ELQ, and CLEE. Co-sponsored by SALDF, BERC and SEEJ.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
AGUA and CWC on "Not A Drop To Drink: The Struggle For Potable Water In The Central Valley"
12:45pm | Boalt Hall Room 105
Veronica & Joanna Mendoza, a mother and daughter representing the AGUA Coalition and Vecinos Unidos, join Laurel Firestone and Carolina Balazs from the Community Water Center to discuss disparities in access to clean drinking water in the Central Valley. *This panel is part of the Environmental Justice Symposium.* Organized by SEEJ.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Katie Cantrell and Bruce Wagman on Factory Farming
12:45pm | Boalt Hall Room 145
Katie Cantrell, founder of the Coalition to Fight Factory Farming, and Bruce Wagman, animal law instructor and partner at Schiff Hardin LLP in San Francisco, discuss their work and advocacy relating to factory farming. Organized by SEEJ, SALDF, and CLEE.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Climate Change talk by Howard Latin
12:45pm | Boalt Hall Room 134
Professor Howard Latin will talk about his forthcoming book, Climate Change Policy Failures: Why Conventional Mitigation Approaches Cannot Succeed. Professor Latin has been on the Rutgers Law School at Newark faculty since 1976. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Australia in 1992 and South Africa in 1997, and he has traveled to more than 40 countries in the past three decades while conducting research on environmental law and biodiversity conservation issues.
Monday, April 9
CLEE Environmental & Energy Curriculum Roll-Out
12:45pm | Boalt Hall Room 145
Join Berkeley Law environmental and energy professors as they discuss their courses for Fall 2012. Don't miss this opportunity to preview the course offerings before you register.Limited to Berkeley Law students. Light lunch provided.
February 27- March 2, 2012 (all week)
THE 8TH ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SYMPOSIUM
12:45-2:00 pm each day | Boalt Hall, UC School of Law (room information provided below)
The 8th Annual Environmental Justice Symposium, organized by Students for Environmental and Economic Justice (SEEJ). The topic this year is "Overcoming Invisibility: Environmental Justice in Rural America." This symposium features a week of lunchtime panel discussions on important environmental justice issues impacting rural communities. Lunch will be provided each day and all events are free and open to the public.
CLEE is sponsoring this conference. Schedule of events:
KEYNOTE: THE STRUGGLE FOR CLEAN ENERGY ON TRIBAL LANDS
Monday, February 27, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 105, UC Berkeley School of Law
Leaders working with communities on the Navajo Nation -- Anna Rondon (New Energy Economy), Wahleah Johns (Black Mesa Water Coalition), Brad Bartlett (Western Energy Justice Project), and Caitlin Sislin (Women's Earth Alliance)—will discuss the struggle against mining and towards clean energy alternatives on tribal lands. Lunch provided from Cafe Gratitude
GENDER, RACE, AND POWER IN THE EJ MOVEMENT
Tuesday, February 28, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 295 (Warren Room/Old Cafe Zeb), UC Berkeley School of Law
This event brings together female attorneys, advocates and organizers of color to explore ways gender and race have impacted women's experiences and strategies leading struggles for environmental and economic justice in rural America. Come participate in a conversation withAnna Rondon (New Energy Economy), Felicia Espinosa (California Rural Legal Assistance), Mary Louise Frampton (UC Berkeley School of Law), and Valerie Gorospe (Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment), moderated by Swati Prakash (UC Berkeley School of Law). Lunch provided from Cheeseboard.
WASTING THE VALLEY: DISCRIMINATORY SITING OF HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL
Wednesday, February 29, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Room 105, UC Berkeley School of Law
While cities produce most of California's waste, rural areas bear the brunt of it. All three of the state's Class I hazardous waste dumps are sited near low-income, unincorporated communities. Ingrid Brostrom, an attorney with the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, and Maricela Mares-Alatorre, a community activist and organizer with El Pueblo Para El Aire y Agua Limpio and Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, will discuss the ongoing struggle in Kettleman City, a rural community near a 1,600-acre hazardous and municipal solid waste dump that has experienced a rash of severe birth defects and infant deaths over the past several years. Moderated by Berkeley Law Professor, Robert Infelise. Lunch provided from Mandela Food Cooperative.
NOT A DROP TO DRINK: THE STRUGGLE FOR POTABLE WATER IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY
Thursday, March 1, 2012. 12:45-2:00 pm. NEW LOCATION: YWCA Auditorium at 2600 Bancroft Way Berkeley, CA 94704
Joanna Mendoza, a youth from Cutler representing the AGUA Coalition and Vecinos Unidos, will join Laurel Firestone and Carolina Balazs from the Community Water Center on a panel to discuss disparities in access to clean drinking water in the Central Valley. Moderated by Berkeley Law Professor Michelle Anderson. Lunch provided from Sunrise Deli Falafel.
A CALL TO ACTION IN RURAL AMERICA
Friday, March 2, 2012. 12:45-2:00pm. Dean’s Seminar Room, UC Berkeley School of Law
Leaders from major organizations in the Central Valley such as California Rural Legal Assistance and Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment will engage in a dialogue with students and professors about Boalt’s current and future commitment to rural issues. Lisa Pruitt from UC Davis Law will moderate. [LIMITED SEATING. PLEASE RSVP TO: shainahyder@fulbrightmail.org]. Lunch provided from Gregiore.
January 25, 2012
Unplugged: The Renewable Energy Speaker Series, Session 7: Is Fast Track On Track?
5:00 - 7:00 pm | Farella Braun + Martell LLP
Before 2010, the United States had never approved a utility-scale solar farm on public land in California. Renewable energy projects on private, state or county lands were limited. With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as a catalyst, California state, federal and county agencies approved more than 17,000 MW of renewable energy projects in 2010 and 2011 with over 3,000 MW on public lands. These “Fast Track” projects, permitted through close coordination between agencies, consultants, developers and public stakeholders, form the basis of our renewable energy future. While many of the permitted projects are under construction, many solar projects have stalled due to changing markets and the vagaries of a young industry. Please join our panelists from agencies and the developer community as we delve into the fast and furious world of fast-track solar, where it’s been, lessons learned and where it’s going.
MCLE: 1.5 hours
Sponsored By:
- Berkeley Law Center for Law, Energy & the Environment
- Farella Braun + Martel LLP
- The Environmental Law Institute
Location and Time:
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
17th Floor Conference Room
235 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
T: 415.954.4400
Registration: 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Program: 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Reception: 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Teleconference information:
Dial-in: 1-888-759-6039
Participant Code: 415-954-4962
January 21, 2012
California Water Law Symposium
8 am - 6 pm | Boalt Hall
The 8th Annual student-run California Water Law Symposium, hosted this year at UC Berkeley, School of Law. The event is a collaborative effort by students at Berkeley Law, Golden Gate University, Hastings, University of San Francisco, and UC Davis that brings together the major players from around the state.
Registration: http://www.waterlawsymposium.com/
The Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) is co-sponsoring this event.
December 14, 2011
Catastrophic Events in an Age of Climate Change: Harnessing the Power of Legal and Policy Tools
5:00 - 7:00 pm | Goldberg Room, Berkeley Law
The effect of global warming on weather patterns may be responsible for more powerful storms and hotter, longer dry periods, according to the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report. This trend is The effect of global warming on weather patterns may be responsible for more powerful storms and hotter, longer dry periods, according to the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report. This trend is projected to continue for years to come. How can we use legal and policy tools to prepare for and lessen the consequences of extreme weather events and man-made disasters in an era of climate change?
Professors Daniel Farber and Laurel Fletcher of Berkeley Law will share their research on disaster law and climate change, including lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and the Japanese tsunami. Louis Blumberg, Director of the California Climate Change Program at The Nature Conservancy, will speak about nature-based adaptation to climate change, focusing on the climate extremes of sea level rise, flood, wildfire, and disruption of water supply.
Please join us for this engaging event!
MCLE: 1.5 hours
Registration: http://climatedisasters.eventbrite.com/
Sponsors:
- The California Governor's Office
- The Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) at Berkeley Law
- The Nature Conservancy
- Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
December 2, 2011
Local Clean and Green Conference
7:30 am - 5:00 pm | I-House @ 2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA
This conference will showcase promising policies and best practices on climate change for local government officials and stakeholders. The recommendations will be in part drawn from the Berkeley and UCLA Law Business and Climate Change Research Initiative white papers. The conference targets an audience of:
- Key local government decision-makers throughout California;
- State and Federal officials necessary to implementing environmental and energy policies at the local level in California;
- Business leaders from targeted sectors; and
- Advocates and legal practitioners who work on these issues locally.
The event will be an all-day public conference featuring plenary speeches and panels focusing on issues related to business and climate change and presenting various policies available to local government leaders.
Registration required: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/11763.htm.
Sponsored by:
- Bank of America
- The Center for Law, Energy and the Environment at Berkeley Law
- UCLA School of Law (Environmental Law Center & Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment)
November 3, 2011
Presentation by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson
12:45 pm - 2:00 pm | Room 105 Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley School of Law
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson will be at Berkeley Law to speak about current EPA policies and the EPA's reaction to recent House Republican challenges to environmental laws. Administrator Jackson will discuss how the EPA is answering President Obama's call for federal agencies to work with American businesses and create green jobs.
Jackson has been named one of Newsweek’s “Most Important People in 2010,” and has been featured on Time Magazine’s 2010 and 2011 lists of the “100 Most Influential People in the World."
She will also answer student questions submitted in advance. Don't miss this rare opportunity to meet the EPA Administrator!
Advance registration required: http://epaberkeley.eventbrite.com/
October 31, 2011
Progress or Retreat?: The Outlook for a Rule of Law in a Changing China
4 pm | Institute of East Asian Studies (2223 Fulton, 6th Floor)
Sponsors: East Asian Studies, Institute of (IEAS), Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) at Berkeley Law, Chinese Studies, Center for (CCS)
What is the outlook for Chinese rule of law in the coming years? Three speakers, each with significant on-the-ground experience working on legal development in China, will address this question from a number of perspectives, including resolution of constitutional disputes, the changing role of lawyers, environmental protection, and citizen protest. Professor Alex Wang (UC Berkeley) will discuss the uncertain role of law in China's efforts to address severe environmental problems, and promising bottom-up efforts at legal innovation on the part of citizens and local courts.
More information here.
October 20-21, 2011
2011 BERC Energy Symposium
The BERC Energy Symposium is the premier energy event at UC Berkeley and the largest student-run energy conference on the West Coast. Key players from the research, business development, policy and economics communities converge on Berkeley's campus to explore innovative ideas and provide a platform for vibrant discussion among hundreds of attendees.
The 2011 BERC Energy Symposium will commence on the evening of Thursday, October 20th with the BERC Innovation Expo, a showcase of cutting-edge energy research, environmental design and entrepreneurship. The conference will take place on Friday, October 21st featuring nine engaging and in-depth panel discussions, three keynote addresses, and a post-conference reception. This year’s event will build on the expertise of energy leaders
from a wide range of fields to debate the most crucial issues and strategies for addressing our shared global energy challenges.
Register now: bercsymposium.eventbrite.com
For more information: berc.berkeley.edu/symposium
October 5, 2011
Energy Storage: A Current Assessment
4:30 - 7:00 pm | Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall
Energy storage -- such as batteries, compressed air and pumped hydro facilities -- has been called the "Holy Grail" of the electricity grid. These technologies can balance intermittent solar and wind energy, reduce peak energy demand and provide important grid services, among other roles. But barriers such as high costs, market rules and technology maturity have stymied a significant deployment of energy storage. Coinciding with the completion of a major energy storage report jointly prepared by three University of California campuses, an expert panel will discuss the commercial status of the various technologies, legislative and regulatory efforts underway, ongoing research and development needs and potential market reforms to boost energy storage deployment in California and beyond.
Registration required: https://secure.lenos.com/lenos/fbm/ELIsept2011/prepopgateway.asp
MCLE: 1.5 hours
Sponsored By:
Berkeley Law Center for Law, Energy & the Environment
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
The Environmental Law Institute
FALL 2011 LAW SCHOOL EVENTS
October 20, 2011
Environmental & Energy Curriculum Rollout
12:45-1:50 pm | Room 134 Boalt Hall
Come learn more about the environmental and energy courses that we will be offering this spring. Lunch will be provided. This event is open to UC Berkeley student only.
October 19, 2011
Environmental Careers Panel
12:45 - 1:50 p.m. | 145 Boalt Hall, School of Law
Want to learn more about careers in environmental and energy law? Join us on October 19 to hear from Berkeley Law alumni working at NRDC, PG&E, Shute Mihaly & Weinberger, and San Francisco Baykeeper. This panel is sponsored by the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), working with student groups ELQ, ELS, SALDF, and SEEJ. Lunch will be provided to attendees.
October 1, 2011
Alumni Weekend Event: Local Renewable Energy Policy and Job Creation in California
2:15–3:30 pm | Boalt Hall
Join Steve Weissman of the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, CA Senior Policy Advisory Ken Alex, and Solaria VP David Hochschild discuss California Governor Jerry Brown’s pledge to quadruple local energy renewables by 2020 and create new jobs in the state. CLEE is working with Governor Brown’s office to identify the legal and policy barriers and solutions for achieving this goal. Under Governor Granholm, Michigan rose to fourth in the nation for solar industry jobs and first for clean energy patents. (One hour general MCLE credit)
Registration required: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/reunion2011.htm


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