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NAFTA RENEGOTIATION, CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY TAKES CENTER

STAGE AT UH LAW CENTER’S NORTH AMERICAN ENERGY SYMPOSIUM

UHLC hosted the second annual North American Environment, Energy The panel consisted of energy executives, all of whom are Law Center
and Natural Resources Conference at Partnership Tower in downtown alumni:
Houston. The two-day symposium in May titled, “North American • Alex Juden ’94, secretary and general counsel at Schlumberger
Energy and Environmental Policy in Transition,” brought together
experts from the fields of oil and gas, academia, business and politics to • Kay McCall ’84, president, CEO and general counsel of Noble
examine current and future energy issues and solutions. Blank Rome, Environmental Power
LLP, and the University of Calgary Faculty of Law co-sponsored the • Gerald Morton ’88, general counsel and vice president of business
event. development for Carrizo Oil and Gas
“From NAFTA to climate policy, pipelines to LNG, the electric grid to • Tony Trevino ’86, general counsel of Lewis Energy group
Mexican energy privatization, there has never been a more exciting and • William Turcotte ’89, senior vice president and general counsel at
yet, precipitous time in the energy integration of North America, and the Noble Corporation
continuing need for a healthy and climate-stabilized environment,” said
Professor Victor Flatt, faculty director of the Law Center’s Environment, Law Center professor Blake Hudson moderated “All over the Map –
Energy, and Natural Resources Center. Vertically Integrated Systems and Market Reform,” which included

Flatt and Professor Bret Wells, the George Butler Research Professor Brian Tulloh, executive director of Midcontinent Independent System
Operator, Jonas Monast, an assistant professor at the University of
of Law, began the conference with a talk on cross-border energy and North Carolina Law School and Joseph McMonigle, Principal of Blank
commerce in the face of differing climate policy. Rome Government Relations.
Wells weighed the international trade implications of the U.S. placing a Associate Professor Gina Warren served as moderator for a discussion
tax on carbon, which could be used as a means to raise revenue for the regarding the privatization of Mexican energy, which featured Felix
federal government. Mormann of the Texas A&M University School of Law and Manan
“There’s a couple reasons why that may well be in the cards,” Wells Parikh, an analyst on Latin America for GTM Research.
said. “First is that the U.S. has a desperate need to solve its fiscal deficit The conference’s final panel, “Pemex privatization, regulation and
problem. The tax law change that came in December of last year added governance” moderated by Assistant Research Professor Julian
about $1.5 trillion to the U.S. deficit over a 10-year period. There is a Cardenas Garcia, Latin American Chair of the EENR Center, included
pressing need for tax revenue.” Isidro Morales Moreno, who teaches at the School of Government at
The last panel of the first day was the Dean’s Panel moderated by Law Tecnologico de Monterrey, Rebecca Golden Timsar of the University of
Center Dean Leonard M. Baynes. Held under Chatham House rules, Houston’s Global Energy Development Center, George Baker, editor of
discussants shared their opinions on North American Energy, Trade, Mexico Energy Intelligence.
Environment and Climate in Transition.

University of Houston Law Center Dean Leonard M. Baynes, right, moderates a panel during the 2nd Annual North American
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Conference.

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