Spring 2021
5234 Shale Gas & LNG - SAKMAR- 21328
Professor(s):
Susan Sakmar (VISITING)
Credits: 2
Course Areas: Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Law
International Law
Time: ARRANGED Location:
Course Outline: This course explores the myriad of legal, policy and environmental issues pertaining to global natural gas markets with a particular focus on global shale gas development and the development of LNG import and export projects around the world, including recent developments in US LNG export projects. This semester will be particularly interesting, as we will discuss the role of natural gas and LNG in the current low-oil price environment.
The first half of the semester will explore the growing role that natural gas will play around the world in the context of global shale gas development. By most accounts, shale gas development in the United States has been a “game changer” that could be replicated around the world so long as the right regulatory and environmental frameworks are put in place. This course will explore the existing regulatory and environmental frameworks for shale gas, especially those in the United States, as well as frameworks being developed around the world with the objective of exploring the substantive law of shale gas development as well as developing the analytical and practical skills necessary to the practice of law.
The second half of the semester will explore the growing role that LNG is expected to play as the “glue” linking global gas markets. The course will explore the opportunities and challenges for various LNG import and export projects around the world in the current contextual reality wherein energy law and policy are increasingly intersecting with environmental law and geopolitics. Particular focus will be on recent policy and regulatory actions taken with respect to US LNG exports.
Course Syllabus: Syllabus
Course Notes: DistanceEd The instructor for this course has expressed a preference to operate the course as distance education. This means no physical classroom is assigned for this course. This also most likely means synchronous internet videoconferencing class sessions during the day(s) and time(s) when the course is scheduled to meet. However, other, more flexible modalities are possible, such as not using some of the scheduled class sessions to meet but instead supplementing with asynchronous distance education techniques. More details should be made available from the instructor via their syllabus or via other means as the start of the semester nears.
Quota = 30
This course will meet on the following Fridays & Saturdays :
Friday January 29 - 1:00 to 4:00
Saturday January 30 - 10:00 to 1:00
Friday February 26 - 1:00 to 4:00
Saturday February 27 - 10:00 to 1:00
Friday March 26 - 1:00 to 4:00
Saturday March 27 - 10:00 to 1:00
Friday April 23 - 1:00 to 4:00
Saturday April 24 - 10:00 to 1:00
Prerequisites:
First Day Assignments: First Assignment
Final Exam Schedule: Paper
This course will have:
Exam:
Paper:
Satisfies Senior Upper Level Writing Requirement: No
Experiential Course Type: No
Bar Course: No
DistanceEd ABA:
Pass-Fail Student Election: Available
Course Materials
Book(s) Required
Susan L. Sakmar, Energy for the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) (2013). The book is available for direct purchase from the publisher at www.e-elgar.com (hard back ISBN-13: 978-1782544234) or paperback (ISBN-10: 1782544232).
