Allen Chair 2014 | University of Richmond Law Review

Energy Versus Water: The Growing Role of Water in Controlling Energy Decisions

Andrea West Wortzel *

Energy and water are integrally linked. Water is necessary to produce and deliver energy,[1] both for cooling and for pollution control. For certain energy sources, such as natural gas and coal, water is needed in the extraction process. Energy powers water treatment processes and pumps for transporting water to end users. Energy is also needed to treat water after it has been used and to return it to the stream or to another user.

* Of Counsel; Environmental & Natural Resources Practice Group, Troutman Sanders LLP; Coordinator, Mission H₂O; J.D., 1996, University of Richmond School of Law; B.A., 1991, The College of William and Mary. Mission H₂O is a stakeholder group focused on regulatory and legislative developments impacting water supply in Virginia.

[1]. See Energy and Industry, Nat’l Geographic, http://environment.nationalgeogra phic.com/environment/freshwater/energy-and-industry/ (last visited Feb. 18, 2014); Energy-Water Nexus Overview, Sandia Nat’l Lab., http://www.sandia.gov/energy-water/nex us_overview.htm (last visited Feb. 18, 2014).

Avoiding the Catch-22: Reforming the Renewable Fuel Standard to Protect Freshwater Resources and Promote Energy Independence

Leah Stiegler *

“No beaches have been closed due to ethanol spills!”[1] An ethanol advocacy group near the United States Capitol shouted these words in 2010. Proponents of ethanol parade an environmentally benign image that plays up ethanol as a “clean fuel” that could never harm water resources, unlike well-publicized oil spills, such as the Exxon Valdez incident.[2] But this is not the case.

* J.D. Candidate, 2015, University of Richmond School of Law; B.A. and B.S., 2012, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. I am grateful to have this opportunity to publish and would like to thank the entire University of Richmond Law Review staff and editorial board for their work to make it possible. A special thank you to Jonathan Tan and Christopher Bascom for providing guidance and edits throughout my writing process. Finally, I would like to thank my friends, family, and especially my mother, Janet Stiegler, for her inspiration and encouragement to improve my writing.

[1]. Erica Gies, As Ethanol Booms, Critics Warn of Environmental Effect, N.Y. Times (June 24, 2010), http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/business/energy-environment/25iht-r bogeth.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.

[2]. See id.