Riley Institute at Furman to co-present SC Energy Forum in Charleston Feb. 5

February 2, 2016

CHARLESTON, SC – An in-depth discussion about three of the major energy issues facing South Carolina will take center stage when the eighth annual Law & Society Symposium is held in Charleston Friday, Feb. 5.

The day-long symposium, “The Law of Energy,” will examine the subjects of offshore drilling, solar energy and nuclear energy. Hosted by the Charleston Law Review of the Charleston School of Law and the Riley Institute at Furman University, the forum will take place at the Charleston Music Hall on John Street.

The keynote speaker is Catherine Heigel, director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.  The forum begins at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m.

“This conference could not be more timely for South Carolina as these environmental issues and how they are resolved are of huge importance to our state,” said Don Gordon, executive director of the Riley Institute.

The forum will include three panel discussions: (1) Offshore Energy: Drilling Toward an Uncertain Future; (2) Discussion and Responses to South Carolina Act 236 and Other Solar Energy Initiatives; and (3) No Time to Waste: An In-Depth Look Into Nuclear Energy in South Carolina.

Other panelists for the symposium include Christopher DeScherer, Managing Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center; Hamilton Davis, Energy and Climate Director, Coastal Conservation League; and Dan Gatlin, VP of Nuclear Operations, SCANA.

The symposium qualifies for five hours of Continuing Legal Education credits in South Carolina. Walk-in CLE registrations will be accepted at the door for a tuition of $150.  Attendance without the CLE credit is free. The event is open to the public.

See the full agenda and register online here.  For more information, contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107([email protected]) or Andy Brack at 843-670-3996 ([email protected]).

The Charleston Law Review is the flagship journal of the Charleston School of Law.  In its past issues, the Charleston Law Review has published significant public figures ranging across the political spectrum from President-elect Barack Obama to John Yoo, former presidential legal advisor to President George W. Bush.  The Law Review will publish a companion issue to the symposium that may be ordered at www.charlestonlawreview.org.

The Riley Institute at Furman broadens student and community perspectives about issues critical to South Carolina’s progress. It builds and engages present and future leaders, creates and shares data-supported information about the state’s core challenges, and links the leadership body to sustainable solutions.  Launched in 1999, the Institute is named for former South Carolina Governor and former United States Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley.  It is committed to nonpartisanship in all it does and to a rhetoric-free, facts-based approach to change.