Energy law experts heading to Raglan for work
19 May 2013
A group of top energy and resource law academics will spend four days in Raglan this month at the invitation of Waikato law professor Barry Barton. Professor Barry Barton is the sole New Zealander on the Academic Advisory Group of SEERIL – the Section on Energy, Environment, Resources and Infrastructure of the International Bar Association, and every two years the advisory group puts out a book on an aspect of energy and resource law. Mid-way through the two year cycle the group meets to work on the book. “We’ve met in Spain, Canada, Denmark and the UK, but never before in New Zealand, so I thought why not give them a real Kiwi experience,” says Professor Barton. The current AAG book is called Energy Underground: Innovative Law and Policy for Transformative Technologies. “From a legal perspective, we’re looking at new uses of the sub-surface for energy, such as carbon capture and storage, hydraulic fracturing, oil field resource allocation, and hazardous waste disposal.”
Public Seminar in Hamilton
While they’re in New Zealand, members of the AAG will be giving a public lecture in Hamilton that will cover different aspects of global developments in law and policy in energy, resources and the environment. “These speakers are among the most distinguished in their field and it’ll be interesting for New Zealand practitioners, students and policymakers to learn about global trends,” says Professor Barton. The Hamilton seminar takes place at the University of Waikato’s Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts and is being hosted by the Centre for Environmental, Resources and Energy Law (CEREL), based at the University of Waikato and co-sponsored by the International Bar Association and the Energy Law Association of New Zealand. It takes place on Monday 13 May from 3-6.15pm.
Energy Underground Conference
The overseas academics are taking the bus from Hamilton to Wellington (at their request) stopping at Karapiro (to see hydro power generation) and Wairakei (geothermal) on the way. In Wellington, the AAG group will be part of a day-long Energy Underground conference that’s bringing together representatives from the legal fraternity, policy professionals and academics to talk about issues relevant to policy and law making in New Zealand regarding the uses of the subsurface. The same three organisations hosting the Hamilton event will host the Wellington conference.