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Greetings from beautiful Vermont! As I write this, the Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) is amid a very busy fall semester.
In September, the IEE hosted its 11th annual VLGS Energy Law and Policy Symposium—for the first time during Climate Week NYC—and co-hosted the inaugural Building a Just Energy Transition in New England workshop. We also welcomed Kirt Mayland LLM'05, visiting assistant professor, to our Energy Clinic team.
Our students returned to campus and jumped into projects focused on renewable energy for low-income communities, strengthening rural community EV charging infrastructure, tracking geothermal utility legislation, and creating beneficial electrification in agriculture webinars.
I am always amazed by the diversity of the IEE's work and our students' commitment to advancing a just, clean energy transition.
My best,
Mark James
Interim Director, Institute for Energy and the Environment
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The 11th annual VLGS Energy Law and Policy Symposium convened engaging panels on FERC Order 1920 and its implications for New York state transmission planning, green finance for clean energy technologies, and 24/7 clean electricity tariffs. While the event was held during Climate Week NYC for the first time, it once again offered a valuable opportunity to connect alumni and students.
Seven VLGS energy students were able to travel to New York City. "The 2024 symposium brought together leading experts in energy law, and as a student, knowing that so many are alumni was impactful," said Sonja Rzepski JD'25. "I learned so much in one day about what is happening in real time. Being in such a rapidly changing field, it is important to get that perspective."
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Kirt Mayland LLM'05
The Institute for Energy and the Environment is ecstatic to have welcomed Kirt Mayland as a visiting assistant professor at the start of the fall semester. Kirt joins us from the Connecticut Institute for Resilience & Climate Adaptation at the University of Connecticut, where he taught renewable energy law, land use law, and environmental law.
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Dan Delurey
Congratulations to Dan Delurey, senior fellow for climate and energy at the IEE, who has joined the White House Council on Environmental Quality's Office of the Federal Chief Sustainability Officer. He will serve on a detail assignment as director for clean energy focusing on decarbonization strategies. Dan will also continue to serve in his senior fellow role with the IEE.
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Building a Just Energy Transition in
New England Workshop
This fall, the Institute for Energy and the Environment co-hosted the Building a Just Energy Transition in New England workshop with Dartmouth College, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the University of Maine at Dartmouth's Irving Institute. The workshop paired academic institutions with community partners to share challenges, opportunities, and successes in promoting energy justice in our local communities.
From net-zero, affordable housing to community solar projects, several members of the IEE team—including Jenny Carter JD'86/MSL'87, Carlson Swafford JD/MELP'20, and Genevieve Byrne—moderated panels that highlighted the Energy Clinic's work. Current students Kyle Creevy JD/MELP'25, Audrey Garcia JD'25, and Victoria Balboa JD/MERL'26 also participated in the community solar panel.
The IEE is grateful to the University Energy Institute Collaborative for its grant, which made the workshop possible.
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Art and Advocacy Featuring Eddie Ahn
In October, the IEE and the VLGS Energy Law Society welcomed Eddie Ahn, executive director of Brightline Defense, an environmental justice nonprofit, and author of the new graphic memoir, "Advocate," for a discussion about art and storytelling in environmental advocacy. We are grateful to Eddie for taking the time to share his work and knowledge with us.
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The Energy Clinic celebrated a major milestone with the Pine Hill Homeowners Cooperative in Conway, New Hampshire, as it commissioned its new community-owned solar array. The 50 KW AC array will provide renewable energy to the electric grid and financial benefits to members through New Hampshire's Group Net Metering program.
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Salisbury Square Village's Phase Two Groundbreaking
For more than five years, VLGS's Energy Clinic has partnered with the Randolph Area Community Development Corporation on an energy-resilient housing development, which recently broke ground on its second phase. Our students have helped secure permits, draft zoning amendments, and advise on energy-related financing for the project.
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Professor Mark James
A recent USA Today Homefront article features Mark James, interim director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment. Professor James comments on what people should know before enrolling in a deregulated energy plan and why electricity prices often change abruptly.
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CLASS OF 2024 JOBS ROUNDUP
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Please join us in congratulating several Class of 2024 Energizers who have begun new jobs carrying forward the clean energy transition.
- Abigail Adaway MCEP'24 – Affordable Clean Energy Plan Implementation Intern, League of Conservation Voters
- Ashlynn Bean JD/MERL'24 – Energy Industry Analyst, FERC Office of Energy Markets Regulation
- Lauren Kobayashi JD'24 – Law Clerk, McCarter and English, LLP
- Morgan Pace JD'24 – Assistant City Solicitor, City of Philadelphia Law Department
- Caroline Smith JD'24 – Law Clerk, Dillingham, Alaska, Superior Court
- Ryan Sterling JD'24 – Law Clerk, FERC Office of Administrative Law Judges
- Dawson Vandervort JD/MERL'24 – Honors Program, Internal Revenue Service
- Hayley Wilburn JD'24 – Legal Fellow, Illinois Power Agency
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Emily Dwight JD/MERL'26
Emily, a current VLGS student, was recently interviewed on the Bloomberg Law "On the Merits" podcast about her direction as an aspiring lawyer interested in energy and the environment. She chose to attend VLGS because of the number of energy law classes available, including the Global Sustainability Field Study in Cuba, research opportunities, and the Energy Clinic.
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Justin Somelofske JD/MERL'20
Currently serving as regulatory counsel at the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA), Justin appeared on the "Squeaky Clean Energy Podcast," during which he reviewed the NCSEA's expert testimony filed in the 2024 Carbon Plan. Justin also highlighted the need for expedited offshore wind development in North Carolina.
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Veronica Ung-Kono JD/MERL'21
Veronica appeared on the "Energy Central Power Perspectives" podcast, sharing insights from her work as a staff attorney and clean energy transmission specialist at the National Wildlife Federation. She discussed the complex balance between expanding transmission networks to advance the clean energy transition and protecting vital wildlife habitats.
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1.802.831.1151
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Institute for Energy and the Environment
Vermont Law and Graduate School
164 Chelsea Street, PO Box 96
South Royalton, Vermont 05068
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