Conference To Examine “The Future of Energy” Nov. 9

The Yale Law & Business Society, Yale Environmental Law Association, and Yale School of Management Energy Club will host a conference titled “The Future of Energy” on Friday, Nov. 9, in the Yale Law School auditorium. The conference will bring together business leaders, academics, and regulatory experts to discuss the policy, business, and regulatory outlook on the energy sector over the next 25 years.

“‘The Future of Energy’ asks what improvements we can make and how best to make them in the context of business constraints and policy goals,” said Ilya Podolyako ’09, president of the Yale Law & Business Society. “It’s an opportunity to discuss the extremely pressing topic of sustainable energy use with individuals capable of turning any consensus reached into reality.”

“The conference will focus on the United States’ energy outlook,” added Conference Chair Bryan Townsend ’09. “Although this necessarily relates to the world’s outlook, we will emphasize how international law and developments throughout the world in turn impact Americans.”

Among other things, the conference will explore the relationship between international law and the shift of accessible hydrocarbon reserves to unstable or developing nations. It will examine the types of incentives the current regulatory regime creates for renewable energy sources, both at the regional and national levels. And it will address the economic prospects of both traditional and alternative energy producers over the next 12-18 years.

“We hope the conference will clearly indicate the importance of energy law to the future of our country and world, more deeply inform the Yale community about these issues, demonstrate high levels of interest among Yale Law students, and encourage the development of energy and environmental law coursework at Yale Law,” said Townsend.

The conference runs from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday and is free to all members of the Yale community.