Ep 5 | What Is Energy Law and How Does It Affect Us?

In this episode of Energy Transition Talk, Justine speaks with Professor Jacobs, an energy law professor at Berkeley Law, about all things energy law – what it is and why it matters. Professor Jacobs walks us through some of the most important energy laws that affect our daily lives, from the Inflation Reduction Act at the national level to the myriad of laws California, as the nation’s leader in energy legislation, is implementing to electrify buildings and transportation, clean up our electricity grid, and reduce energy demand. Professor Jacobs also explains the hurdles to building clean energy infrastructure, the need to consider the community in permitting decisions, and the role we can each play in shaping energy regulations and policies.

Justine then chats with Christen Richardson, a law student at USC Gould, about her experience working on renewable energy at a law firm and the state of the energy industry as seen through the lens of a law firm. Christen shares her thoughts on the role of energy law in the energy transition, the challenges and opportunities, and what excites her about the energy transition.

1:36 Interview with Professor Jacobs

46:00 Interview with Christen Richardson

1:04:35 Concluding Remarks

We hope you enjoy these conversations! Be sure to subscribe to our podcast so you can automatically get access to our new episodes – you can find us on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we would appreciate it so much if you could leave a rating and review. Special thanks to our guests for today and Abhi, our technical guru, for their important contributions to today’s episode. This podcast is sponsored by the USC Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition.

Suggested Resources:

• Inflation Reduction Act calculators

• https://www.rewiringamerica.org/app/ira-calculator

• https://www.ecowatch.com/solar/ev-appliance-solar-tax-credit-calculator

• Inflation Reduction Act credits: https://www.irs.gov/inflation-reduction-act-of-2022

• Berkeley Law Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment: https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/clee/

• Legal Planet: https://legal-planet.org/

• UCLA Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment: https://law.ucla.edu/academics/centers/emmett-institute-climate-change-environment

• Energy Institute at Haas, Energy Institute Blog: https://energyathaas.wordpress.com

• USC Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition: https://ecet.wpengine.com/

• Law Students for Climate Accountability: https://www.ls4ca.org/

• The Guardian, “Fossil fuel companies paying top law firms millions to ‘dodge responsibility’”

• LA Times, “Newsletter: Meet the law firms helping fossil fuel companies heat the planet”

• LA Times, “Here are all the climate and environment bills that California just passed” (Sept 2023)

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Energy Transition Talk series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of the Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition (E-CET) or the producers of this podcast.