Indiana University

2009 Fellowship Symposium
State Law and Energy Policy:
Initiatives and Ideas Powering the Future
Friday, October 2, 2009
9:00am - 4:00pm

Save the Date Card (PDF)  |  Full Brochure (PDF)
» Read the Fellows' Blog for the latest info on energy policy updates!

Registration for this year's symposium has ended.

State lawmakers are increasingly focused on energy policy. In Indiana, for example, members of the General Assembly introduced more than thirty energy bills in the 2009 session. Across the country, state leaders are brainstorming and developing ideas to produce more energy and, in the process, reduce energy costs. This year’s symposium highlights two of these ideas, electricity generation and mass transit in urban environments.

While considering the interests of ratepayers and the environment, state government leaders are trying to ensure that utilities will supply enough electricity to meet their citizens’ demands.  The examination of this topic starts with an expert projection of how much electricity usage and prices will change in the next two decades. The morning hours of the symposium will also explore how two sources of electricity can play a role in public policy. First, a video documentary shows how some states mandate the development of renewable energy through legislation. Second, professionals from different backgrounds will discuss whether nuclear power should be part of the equation and how state governments can facilitate or block new nuclear generation.

Mass transit plays an important role in our society, and state governments have begun to develop innovative ways to provide mass transit to cities without wasting energy resources. This development must comport with transit needs of local environmental state standards, and federal regulations. What is the role of state governments in mass transit development? What have cities across the country done to provide reliable and effective means of mass transit? This discussion of mass transit has found its way to the Hoosier state, most notably in a proposed light rail system in and around the state’s capital. Proposed plans to revamp Indianapolis’s rail system would provide the city with not only a new form of mass transit, but could ultimately produce a new culture of rail line living. Implementing a plan of this stature requires the involvement of lawmakers, architects, lawyers, and developers.  Representatives of each of these groups will contribute to the afternoon’s exploration of this important topic.

The Program on Law and State Government welcomes your participation and lively discussion during the 2009 Fellowship Symposium.



Symposium Agenda

Friday, October 2, 2009

8:30 am – 9:00 am Registration and Coffee
9:00 am – 9:20 am Introduction
The Big Objectives & Fine Print of State Energy Policy

Professor Cynthia Baker
Director, Program on Law and State Government

9:20 am – 10:00 am Morning Address
Powering the Future: A Forecast of Indiana’s Electricity Consumption, Prices and Resource Requirements

Doug Gotham
Director, State Utility Forecasting Group

10:00 am – 10:40 am Fellowship Address and Video Documentary
Mandating Renewable Energy through Legislation: An Analysis of State Renewable Electricity Standards

Elliott McKinnis
Fellow, Program on Law and State Government

10:40 am – 10:50 am Morning Break
10:50 am – 12:00 noon Morning Panel Discussion
Reacting to Nuclear Reactors: State Legislative Efforts Involving Nuclear Energy

Dr. Audeen Fentiman
Professor of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University
The Honorable Eric Koch
Indiana House of Representatives, District 65
Kerwin Olson
Program Director, Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana
Charles Whitney
General Counsel, Oglethorpe Power Corporation

12:00 pm – 1:20 pm Lunch and Keynote Address
Mass Transit in the Midwest – A Federal Perspective of State Efforts

Nancy-Ellen Zusman
Assistant Chief Counsel for Litigation and Regional Operations, Federal Transit Administration

1:30 pm – 1:50 pm Fellowship Address
Does Mass Transit Equate to Energy Savings?

Olivia Fleming
Fellow, Program on Law and State Government

1:50 pm – 2:30 pm Graduate Student Transit Project
Presentations Indianapolis Mass Transit and Renewable Energy

Nicholas Alexander
Green Community: Urban Agriculture
Paul Konwinksi
Hydro-City
Matt Van Soest
The Yin and the Yang, Transit Development

2:30 pm – 2:40 pm Afternoon Break
2:40 pm – 3:50 pm Afternoon Panel Discussion
Mass Transit Development and Energy Policy in Indiana

Harry Eggnik
Professor of Architecture, Ball State University
Professor Daniel Cole
R. Bruce Townsend Professor of Law
The Honorable Terri Austin
Indiana State Representative, District 36
Philip Roth
Assistant Director, Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization
Ehren Bingamen
Executive Director, Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority

3:50 pm – 4:00 pm Closing Remarks

Professor Cynthia Baker Director
Program on Law and State Government


Don't forget to read the Fellows' Blog for the latest energy policy updates...



Questions about this symposium can be directed to:

Cynthia A. Baker
Director, Program on Law and State Government
Clinical Associate Professor of Law
Indiana University School of Law -- Indianapolis
Lawrence W. Inlow Hall
530 W. New York Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-3225
317.278.2357
Fax: 317.278.4780

cabaker@iupui.edu


» Search | Section Topics