Dear Friends,

The fall of 2023 began with several changes at the Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE), as we welcomed both new students and staff for the start of the semester. It was exciting to meet members of the second incoming class of our Online Hybrid JD program and to see that over 15% of them selected the energy pathway as their academic focus.

The excitement about energy is understandable, as The New York Times noted in a clean energy-related article, "More than $1.7 trillion worldwide is expected to be invested in technologies such as wind, solar power, electric vehicles and batteries globally this year, according to the I.E.A., compared with just over $1 trillion in fossil fuels. That is by far the most ever spent on clean energy in a year."

Perhaps no group of people better recognize the opportunities created by this dynamic clean energy transition than the in-demand graduates of our JD and Master of Energy Regulation and Law degree programs. Their excitement is captured in these powerful testimonials from our alumni. As one successful graduate noted, "For students considering a career in energy law and advocacy, VLGS's energy offerings, including its JD Energy Program, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Institute for Energy and the Environment, are easily some of the most valuable educational opportunities available nationally."

As we recap highlights of the fall semester, this newsletter shares updates on the people and projects that make our clean energy law and policy program unique.

My best,

Kevin B. Jones, PhD
Professor and Director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment
Vermont Law and Graduate School

INTRODUCING OUR NEW TEAM MEMBERS

Eduardo Otero Bakai

We're excited to welcome Eduardo Otero Bakai to the IEE as our Global Energy Justice LLM Fellow. Eduardo joined us this fall from Havana, Cuba, where he was the investment and trade officer at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Havana, assisting the Embassy on Caribbean renewable energy projects. Eduardo earned his LLB from the University of Havana, School of Law.

Eduardo will be working on a joint climate justice project with the U.S.-Asia Partnerships for Environmental Law and will also work on climate justice issues focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. In his free time, Eduardo likes to dance and spend time with friends and his wife, Merci. Eduardo's current project is developing a comparative analysis of the just energy transition in the Caribbean region.

Carlson Swafford JD/MELP'20

This fall, we also welcomed Carlson Swafford JD/MELP'20 back to Vermont Law and Graduate School as our energy justice LLM fellow. Previously at VLGS, Carlson focused on farmland solar policy and cooperative corporations.

After graduating, Carlson returned to his native Tennessee and founded Eco Demo Law, PLLC, where he worked with clients to cultivate resilient systems. Now back in Vermont, Carlson is excited about working in the IEE's Energy Clinic, where he is co-leading our work on low-income solar development in New Hampshire.

THANK YOU, MARNIE!

Marnie Avila Alvarez LLM'23

The beginning of the 2023-24 academic year also meant the completion of Marnie Avila Alvarez's LLM fellowship with the IEE. Marnie completed her LLM in Energy Law this summer and joined VLGS's Admissions Office as our international admissions counselor. Marnie came to the IEE from the Cuban Electric Utility, Unión Eléctrica, and following her education at the University of Havana, School of Law.

We are extremely grateful for her two years at the IEE with our Farm and Energy Initiative team, leading our research on beneficial electrification in the agricultural industry, and identifying strategies to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and long-term costs for farmers. While we will miss her positivity, friendliness, and passion for energy policy at Eaton House, we are already enjoying working with Marnie in her new role. Thank you, Marnie!

NEW REPORT

New IEE Report on Offshore Wind and Non-Price Criteria

This past spring and summer, an IEE research team published a new report on how offshore wind solicitations can enhance marine and aquatic environments. Funded by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the report investigates whether current state offshore solicitation processes can incorporate nature positive benefits.

While state solicitations in the United States sometimes use non-price criteria to weigh non-economic impacts, they are primarily used to capture economic development benefits and the mitigation of negative impacts. In contrast, many European countries are using non-price criteria to build nature positive considerations into their offshore wind solicitation processes.

The IEE report identifies key statutory language in states with an active offshore wind solicitation process and evaluates whether nature positive benefits can be included to promote offshore wind. The results of the report were presented at a symposium hosted at the Roger Williams School of Law in April 2023 and shared in a TNC webinar in June 2023.

The research team was led by Professor Mark James LLM'16. In the summer of 2023, Professor James was promoted to associate director of the IEE and associate professor of law. In addition to his IEE work, he teaches Energy Law and Policy in a Carbon-Constrained World, and Oil and Gas Development and the Environment.

Solar Projects in New Hampshire

Energy Clinic Helps Initiate New Low Income Solar Projects in New Hampshire

Construction is underway on a new 60 kW solar project for the Pine Hill Homeowners Cooperative in Conway, New Hampshire. Since 2016, the VLGS Energy Clinic has collaborated with partners, including ROCNH and the New Hampshire Department of Energy, to explore opportunities for advancing community solar in Resident Owned Communities (ROCs) across the state. New Hampshire provides both grant and policy support for these projects.

The Energy Clinic has been involved in six projects since 2016, with some already in operation and others in various stages of development. When completed, the latest project will provide solar energy to 24 households in the cooperative, with at least 75% of them qualifying as low or moderate income. Under the Energy Clinic's solar model, the residents will own the project, and reduce their household electricity costs while simultaneously reducing their community's carbon footprint. The Energy Clinic provides pro bono legal and consulting services to the community, supporting all facets of project development and implementation.

COMMUNITY SOLAR RIBBON CUTTING

New Energy Clinic Community Solar Project Celebrated in Strafford, Vermont

In November, residents of Strafford and members of Strafford Community Solar, LLC, celebrated the ribbon-cutting of a new 150 kW community-owned solar array. This solar array is set to provide local renewable energy to the Green Mountain Power grid, delivering both financial and environmental benefits to the 21 members of Strafford Community Solar. This was the fifth community-owned solar project in Vermont developed through the Energy Clinic.

This project is unique in that it is owned by its members and the solar Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) remain with the member owners. This results in local carbon reduction, with both the economic and environmental benefits remaining local. At the same time, VLGS students gained the opportunity to learn how to develop and implement a community solar project.

The benefits of the project reach beyond the members of Strafford Community Solar. The project received support from local landowners, Carol and Peter Orgain, and was constructed by Catamount Solar of Randolph, Vermont. In addition, this project became the second to benefit from the Energy Clinic and the local nonprofit BALE's $15,000 community solar seed capital fund, which was donated by VSECU.

Since the renewable energy attributes and the rights to claim the solar energy remain with the members of Strafford Community Solar, the project helps Strafford Community Solar and its members go beyond Vermont's mandatory renewable energy goals and create additional solar energy and carbon reduction for Vermont and the world.

FIELD STUDY UPDATE

Global Sustainability Field Study Class Travels to Cuba

Over Thanksgiving break, 24 Vermont Law and Graduate School students, faculty, and staff visited Cuba to study energy and agriculture sustainability. The travel was part of a course led by the IEE in collaboration with faculty from the University of Havana and National Technological University of Havana. Students visited organic agricultural cooperatives, local solar energy facilities, and cultural attractions.

The class learned from Cuban professors and NGOs, including CubaSolar, about Cuba's new laws promoting small private enterprise. They also studied Cuba's climate policies and social and economic life in Cuba, including the harmful effects of the U.S. trade embargo. Since 2015, over 100 VLGS students and faculty have visited the country as part of our Global Sustainability Field Studies course. They will long remember the generosity and kindness that our Cuban neighbors demonstrated. During the spring semester, participants will present to the VLGS community on their travels. Applications for the 2024 course will open in April.