2009 William and Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review Symposium to Explore Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards

The William & Mary Environmental Law & Policy Review will host its annual symposium titled "Diversifying Your Portfolio: Regulating Energy Sources with Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards" on January 29-30 at William & Mary Law School. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, a schedule of events, or to register, go to www.elpr.org/symposium (ELPRsymposium@gmail.com; (759)903-6084). Continuing Legal Education credit is pending, please contact the organizers for more information.

Renewable Energy Portfolio standards are regulations that require energy providers to integrate alternative/renewable energy sources into their portfolio in certain percentage by specific deadlines. This area has seen significant legislative action recently. Twenty-five states have mandatory standards and five, including Virginia, have voluntary guidelines. There is currently national legislation on the table that passed in the House, and is awaiting a vote in the Senate.

Leaders in government, academia, and industry will make presentations addressing the legal, political, and economic effects and considerations associated with renewable energy portfolio standards on a state and national level. Speakers include David Bulova, who represents the 37th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, Mark Webb of Dominion Resources Services, Jeff Deyette of the Union of Concerned Scientists, Tyson Slocum of Public Citizen, Stephen Watts of McGuireWoods LLP, Professor Joel Eisen of University of Richmond, Ivan Gold of Perkins Coie, Professor Joshua Fershee of University of North Dakota School of Law, Professor David Loomis and Professor Adrienne Ohler of Illinois State University, and Professor Marilyn Brown of Georgia Institute of Technology.

The William & Mary Environmental Law & Policy Review was founded in 1975 as an environmental law newsletter and became a full legal journal in 1990. The focus of the publication is to provide a forum for professors, scholars, practitioners, and students to publish articles on current topics of environmental law and to examine in a more focused manner the policy implications behind the law.