Upcoming Events

Transitioning to a sustainable low-carbon energy system poses one of the great challenges of the 21st century. The Energy Innovation speaker series brings leaders from government, law, finance, industry, and academia to discuss key aspects of this challenge and some of the innovative approaches and solutions being fashioned across a range of sectors. The series during academic year 2014-15 will focus specifically on community level approaches to sustainable energy, the growing cross-border integration of North American energy markets, the role of intellectual property in clean energy companies, and energy market design challenges.

Past Events

State-Local Conflict Over Fracking | Monday March 2, 2015

David B. Spence, University of Texas at Austin, Professor of Law

The law is frequently called upon to resolve regulatory conflicts that arise when a majority mildly prefers policy X, and minority strongly prefers policy not X. Two emerging bodies of case law present this problem, both associated with the growing number of challenges to local restrictions on the use of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") to produce oil and gas.

Martz Winter Symposium Seeds of Change: Responding to Global Change in a Bottom up World | February 12-13, 2015

The conference will explore how state, tribal, and local governments and communities, innovative companies, social and technology entrepreneurs, NGOs, impact investors, consumers, and philanthropists increasingly are taking the lead in creating bottom up solutions to issues such as climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity, food security and nutrition, and poverty eradication.

7th Annual Energy Innovation Schultz Lectureship Series | October 30, 2014

This year, the lecture will be delivered by James Burke, President and CEO of High Sierra Energy. High Sierra Energy is a leading gatherer, transporter, and marketer of crude oil and NGLs (Natural Gas Liquids) and a growing provider of oilfield water and wastewater handling and disposal services. The lecture will cover the "Water-Energy Nexus," focusing in the increasing importance of water and wastewater handling and disposal for unconventional oil and gas operations.

Understanding Disruptive Innovation: The Cases of Internet, Telecom, and Electricity | September 11, 2014

This conference will evaluate the increasing speed of disruptive innovation and its limits in these three sectors. In the telecommunications context, for example, there is a still only limited competition in the last mile–notably, where broadband services to consumers and businesses do not face robust competition. And in electric power, questions remain whether the type of disruptive innovation seen in telecom–for example, the rise of wireless services–provides a useful analogy for understanding the changes currently taking place in that sector. By viewing these issues in comparative context, this conference seeks to shed light on the nature and limits of technological change in these three sectors, the role and potential limits of disruptive innovation, and the appropriate response for policy and regulation.

Property Rights in Spectrum, Water, and Minerals | April 3, 2014

In this conference, building on last year's conference discussing the move towards more dynamic markets in different areas, we will bring together leading experts from the different fields to examine and compare two concepts that have enjoyed different success in these three domains—a "use it or lose it" regime and different judicial or administrative regimes to guard against and address concerns around interference.

The Martz Winter Symposium: Natural Resource Industries and the Sustainability Challenge | February 27-28, 2014

An International Conference hosted by The Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment and The Colorado Law Energy Innovation Initiative will draw together professionals from different disciplines and backgrounds to discuss the specific challenges confronting efforts to operationalize sustainability in the context of natural resource industries.

Conference: Cross-Border Energy Transactions: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities in North America | October 31, 2013

A half-day conference brings together academics, industry leaders, and practicing attorneys to discuss the current state of energy transactions and share their thoughts on the future during a time of dramatic changes in the global energy industry. A keynote speech from Energea partner Marcelo Mereles addresses Mexico’s role as a key player in international energy markets.

Conference: Financing Energy Innovation | November 9, 2012

This conference will convene leading experts from law, industry, and finance to explore energy innovation finance in the United States and its implications for clean energy deployment and competitiveness. Panels include: current challenges and opportunities, specific issues for key sectors, and a larger context for clean energy finance.

Conference: The Changing Energy Mix | October 23, 2012

This conference will explore several aspects of the changing energy mix, paying particular attention to the electric power sector in the United States. It will evaluate the evolving market structure, the implications of unconventional natural gas, and investments and transmission and storage.

5th Annual Schultz Lecture – US Senator Jeff Bingaman, Chairman Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee | October 8, 2012

The University of Colorado Law School and the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship present Jeff Bingaman as our featured speaker for the Energy Innovation Series and 5th Annual Schultz Lecture. The Schultz Lectureship Series on oil and gas, energy, and natural resources provides valuable information to policymakers, practitioners, business executives, and the academic community on emerging issues in the field.

The Role Of Public Utility Commissions In Climate & Energy Policy: Boulder Workshop | June 14-15, 2012

This workshop brings together academics and professionals to discuss the interaction between Public Utilities and Climate and Energy Policy. Sessions include: The Electric Grid and Public Utility Law, Energy Resources and Market Conditions, and the Impact of Environmental Laws on the Electricity Sector.

Smart Grid Conference | March 13, 2012

The development of a ‘smarter grid’ for electric power raises a series of opportunities and challenges. This conference will address three such issues: access to energy usage information; the protection of consumer privacy in electric usage information; and the effort to secure the grid against cyber security attacks.

Robert Gramlich | March 1, 2012

Rob Gramlich is Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the American Wind Energy Association, the national trade association of approximately 2500 entities involved in all aspects of wind energy production, based in Washington DC. Rob joined AWEA in 2005 and now leads the association's strategic initiatives related to federal and state legislation, industry information and analysis, and regulatory policy. He will address the challenges and opportunities facing wind energy in the US.

Former Governor Bill Ritter | November 29, 2011

Bill Ritter was elected as Colorado's 41st governor in 2006. He quickly established Colorado as a national and international leader in clean energy by creating a New Energy Economy and tripling the state's renewable energy portfolio. In a state with substantial fossil energy as well as renewable energy resources, Gov. Ritter created policies that balanced energy production with protection of air, land, water, wildlife and communities. He will speak about “Clean Energy and the Environment in America: The Colorado Story.”

4th Annual Schultz Lecturer, Daniel Yergin | October 19, 2011

Dr. Daniel Yergin is the author of The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World which has been hailed as "a fascinating saga" about the "quest for sustainable resources of energy" and "the book you must read to understand the future of our economy and our way of life." He received the Pulitzer Prize for The Prize: the Epic Quest for Oil Money and Power, which became a number one New York Times best seller and has been translated into 17 languages.

For further information on The Quest, go to www.danielyergin.com

Jason Bordoff | October 4, 2011

Jason Bordoff is the Associate Director for Energy and Climate Change at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Prior to joining CEQ, he was Policy Director of the Hamilton Project, an economic policy initiative housed at The Brookings Institution committed to promoting more broadly shared prosperity. Jason has written on a broad range of economic policy matters, with a focus on climate and energy, trade and globalization, and tax policy.

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