The IEL's Oil and Gas Practice Committee and the University of Colorado Law School presented a successful and well-attended joint seminar in Denver, Colorado, on July 24th on Changing Regulatory Frameworks for Shale Development and "Social License to Operate". Opened by Dean Philip Weiser of CU Law and Alan Dunlop, IEL Co-Director, the panel was chaired by Professor William Boyd of CU Law and featured Howard Boigon, partner in Hogan Lovells, Bill Buck, General Counsel, Upstream Companies, ExxonMobil Corporation and IEL Oil and Gas Practice Committee Chair (and a CU Law Alumnus), and Bruce Kramer, Thomson Visiting Professor at CU Law. Discussion featured the domestic regulation of shale at federal, state and local level and the interplay between regulators, the importance of public opinion and the need for the industry to get ahead of the story, and the differences in regulatory approaches in other countries where shale gas or oil has been discovered. The wide ranging discussion was followed by a lively question and answer session, and the seminar concluded with a networking reception.
The seminar was the first cooperative event between the IEL and CU Law, and the first event presented by the IEL in Denver. Talks have begun with CU Law on the possibility of promoting more joint events in future.