CARLISLE, Pa. - A team of Penn State professors will collaborate to deliver a virtual continuing legal education (CLE) course, "Local Law for Solar Project Development in Pennsylvania," hosted by Penn State Dickinson Law at noon Friday, Sept. 25. The program is part of Penn State's outreach across the commonwealth to increase understanding of energy sector development options for local policymakers, communities and investors. The program is free to attend; advance registration is required.
Co-presenters Mohamed Rali Badissy, assistant professor of law, Dickinson Law; Brook Duer, staff attorney, Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law; and Tom Murphy, director of Penn State's Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research; will discuss local law issues in the development of solar energy projects with a particular focus on the differing requirements with local ordinances and land leases across the commonwealth. Topics will include a survey of solar permitting ordinances, unique considerations in land leases and strategic considerations about working with local governments.
In August 2020, Dickinson Law secured approval from the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board to offer CLE courses via distance learning after the law school successfully delivered five online CLE programs assessed by a representative on the board.
"This recognition from the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board reaffirms the hard work of our community members who curate the virtual content and execute the courses flawlessly as we continue to deliver educational programs to our Penn State colleagues, the legal profession, scholars, policy makers, students, and others consistent with Penn State's role as a world-class research university," said Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway. "We look forward to hosting additional programming this fall showcasing our in-house experts as well as those of the University."
This virtual program has been approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board for one hour of substantive law, practice, and procedure credit via distance learning. There is no cost to attend.
About the Co-presenters
Mohamed Rali Badissy is a scholar, adviser and international development advocate in the field of energy and climate finance. His research focuses on the use of contract standardization and sustainable finance to accelerate the development of energy infrastructure. Badissy previously served as the senior attorney for Energy and Finance with the Commercial Law Development Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce where he advised governments in emerging markets on commercial law reforms intended to catalyze private investment to increase energy access.
Brook Duer joined the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law in 2019 after serving as chief counsel to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for eight years. Prior to that, Duer was with the Governor's Office of General Counsel for a total of 12 years. Prior to his public service, Brook was in private practice for 18 years in Lancaster County.
Tom Murphy has 35 years of experience working with public officials, researchers, industry, government agencies, and landowners during his tenure with the Outreach Branch of the University. Murphy's current work is centered on educational consultation in energy transitions, specifically at the convergence of shale gas and renewables, with a more recent emphasis on landscape scale solar. In his role with the Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, Murphy provides leadership to a range of Penn State's related energy outreach events and research activities.
