On Tuesday, February 10th, Widener Law’s Harrisburg campus played host to Sustainable Energy: The Intersection of Innovation, Law, and Policy, a symposium examining efforts to develop efficient, renewable energy. The Widener Law & Government Institute and the Widener Law Journal sponsored the event, and Distinguished Professor John C. Dernbach and Professor Wesley M. Oliver organized the program.
The daylong program featured an early morning welcome from Widener Law Dean Linda L. Ammons, followed by the distinguished address entitled Pennsylvania’s New Energy Economy and the New Administration: A Response to Changing Economic Times from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary John Hanger.
Following Secretary Hanger’s address, Miriam Horn, Coauthor of Earth: The Sequel, moderated a panel discussion on innovators and innovations in sustainable energy. The panel featured a number of experts, including Widener Law alum Kathryn Robison ’99, who represented Dynamotive USA, a producer of bio-fuels. The day featured a number of other panel discussions, including a panel on Implementing Pennsylvania Act 129 of 2008 and a panel on the Next Generation of Policies for Energy Innovation.
The symposium also featured a look at some of the technologies being discussed, including a fully functioning hydrogen fuel cell car produced by General Motors. Luke May, a representative of General Motors and a participant in the morning panel discussion on innovations, demonstrated the vehicle and discussed how it worked. Keystone BioFuels, also displayed a motorcycle designed to run on bio-fuels.
The program offered participants a wide-ranging look at efforts to find sustainable sources of energy as well as the legal issues and government regulations impacting the situation.