The 2020 winner of the Institute for Energy Law Hartrick Scholar Writing Competition is Jacob L. Dow. Jacob is a third-year student at the Texas Tech University School of Law. Before attending law school, Jacob earned his B.B.A. in Energy Commerce from Texas Tech University and worked as a contract landman. After graduation, Jacob will be working at Thompson & Knight LLP in their Dallas Office.
The winning paper was entitled To Drill or Not to Drill: Does a Lessee Truly Have to Drill a Well to satisfy the Habendum Clause of an Oil and Gas Lease? Jacob’s paper will be published in the Institute for Energy Law’s Proceedings of the 71st Annual Institute on Oil & Gas Law and Texas Tech Law Review.
Jacob received $2,500 and attended the IEL’s 71st Annual Oil & Gas Law Conference on February 19-20 in Houston, with expenses paid by IEL.
Other finalists this year included:
- Nolan Deming of the University of Tulsa College of Law with the paper Fission Expedition: Florida's Regressive Nuclear Energy Policy and the Struggle to Change Course;
- Ryan Hefley of the University of Tulsa College of Law with the paper Crediting the Environment: A Challenge to the Oregon Clean Fuels Program;
- Katlyn Humbarger of Texas A&M School of Law with the paper Drilling to the “Maximum Extent Permitted by Law” The Complex Law, Regulation, and Judicial Interpretation Governing Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration and Production; and
- M. Hunter Terry of the University of San Diego School of Law with the paper CEQA and GHGs: Complying with Evolving Requirements for Environmental Impact Reports and Climate Action Plans.
Photo caption: Jacob L. Dow (left) winner of the 2020 IEL Hartrick Scholar Writing Competition. Also pictured, IEL’s 2018-2020 Advisory Board Chair, David Castro (right).