Even as the world shut down in 2020 from covid-19, ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) investing and principles accelerated their domination of the operation of and investment in the private sector.  These accelerating trends came despite initial fears that the COVID crisis would slow consideration of ESG.  In fact, ESG investments outperformed the broader market, and ESG related projects can command a premium in investment and lender interest. Historic fossil fuel emitters are not exempt.  In a two month span in early 2021, several large legacy oil companies indicated an intent to become carbon neutral and to accelerate diversification into renewable energies.

Argument

Even as the world shut down in 2020 from COVID-19, ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) investing and principles accelerated their domination of the operation of and investment in the private sector.  These accelerating trends came despite initial fears that the COVID crisis would slow consideration of ESG.  In fact, ESG investments outperformed the broader market, and ESG related projects can command a premium in investment and lender interest. Historic fossil fuel emitters are not exempt.  In a two month span in early 2021, several large legacy oil companies indicated an intent to become carbon neutral and to accelerate diversification into renewable energies.

Join University of Houston energy, climate law, and ESG experts, energy general counsel, and Blank Rome attorneys as we examine the current state of the ESG movement broadly and within the energy section in North America, anticipate what can be expected going forward, and clarify and define the roles of attorneys in understanding and representing companies in their ESG activities.

• Latest public pledges for carbon neutrality and future implications
• Hear from the first Deputy Director for Energy Justice at DOE
• Environmental Risk in Financial Disclosure- Avoiding Liability in the ESG and Biden world
• Utilizing diversity and inclusion policies to connect the “social” to environment and climate

Sponsored by Blank Rome, LLP, the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources (EENR) Center of the University of Houston Law Center, UH Energy, the Energy Transition Governance and Law Project (funded by the European Union and with the University of Lyon III), UHLC Global Law and Policy for the Americas, the University of Calgary Faculty of Law, the Universidad Nacional Autonoma De Mexico (UNAM), Universidad Tecnologica de Monterrey, and the Universidad Anuhuac.

Program

8:30 A.M. Welcome to the World of ESG

• Victor Flatt, UH EENR Center Faculty Co-Director (ESG rises, current trends and practices)
• Margaret Hill, Blank Rome (current emerging ESG practice)

8:50 A.M. ESG Facts and Figures and the Renewable Bump

• Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Director, UH Energy, Accelerating ESG in business
• Stacy Louizos, ESG legal practice, ESG informing investors
• Joan Bondareff, Blank Rome, Impact of the Energy major pivot to offshore wind

9:25 A.M. ESG, Financial Disclosure, and ESG Rating Agencies,

• Yelena Barychev, Blank Rome
• Michael Vandenbergh, Vanderbilt University, State of Environmental Risk Disclosure

9:55 A.M. The status in Canada and Mexico,

• Welcome from Dean Ian Holloway, Faculty of Law University of Calgary
• Fenner Stewart, University of Calgary Faculty of Law, ESG and the differing approaches in Canadian and US Corporate Governance
• Elizabeth Trujillo, Chair. UH Global Law and Policy for the Americas, and UH EENR affiliate Mexico, ESG, and International Trade

10:20 A.M.     BREAK

10:30 A.M.     Discussions with Dean Leonard Baynes: ESG and the Future of the Energy Business.

Corporate General Counsel/ Senior Executive Panel:

• Kay McCall, Executive Director, Energy Renewable Alliance
• Niko Lorentzatos, EVP & General Counsel,Oasis Petroleum
• William E. Turcotte, SVP, Gen. Counsel & Corp. Sec. Noble Holding Corporation plc
• Kason Kerr, VP and General Counsel, Ultra Petroleum

11:30 A.M.     Keynote – Energy Justice in the Biden Administration

• Shalanda Baker, Deputy Director of Energy Justice, U.S. Department of Energy

Noon   Connecting the “Social” to Environment and Climate

• Sophia Lee, Blank Rome DEI in Energy (a general discussion of the energy industry)
• Susan Bickley, Blank Rome Law Firms accelerate diversity and inclusion policies (specific to what law firms are doing)
• Gina Warren, UHLC EENR Center Co-Director, and Shreya Patel, UHLC JD Student ‘21 City Climate Action Plans and Restorative Environmental Justice (specific to what cities/local governments are doing)

12:40 P.M.      Wrap up and END