Blank Rome Awards Inaugural Energy Scholarship to University of Houston Law Student
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce the creation of the Blank Rome Energy Scholarship that awards excellence in energy and environmental law by a University of Houston Law Center (“UHLC”) student. The inaugural $10,000 scholarship, courtesy of Blank Rome, UHLC Professor Gina Warren, and Blank Rome Partner Susan L. Bickley, was awarded on April 18 at UHLC’s Eighth Annual North American Environment, Energy & Natural Resources Conference, which Blank Rome has sponsored since its inception. Law student Frank Chambers won for his winning paper, “The Nuclear Option: Securing Environmental Justice Benefits Through the Movement to Replace Coal Power Plants.”
“We have enjoyed partnering with the University of Houston Law Center to support this industry-leading event for the past eight years, and are thrilled to help establish a scholarship to assist law students who are passionate about energy and environmental law,” said Susan L. Bickley, partner and co-chair of firm’s Houston Office and Energy Industry Team. “Mr. Chambers’ paper on the nuclear option is well-researched and it captures the wide array of issues involved in the coal-for-nuclear option as well as the important environmental justice opportunities presented. It ranks among the most comprehensive papers written to date on the subject. Blank Rome is proud to advance such scholarship by supporting the next generation of lawyers.”
The 2024 conference brought together energy-industry leaders, energy law lawyers, and University of Houston energy law experts to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and risks associated with the energy transition. Panelists examined geopolitical tensions, impacts of climate change, and legislative efforts affecting the energy industry. Blank Rome attorneys Susan L. Bickley, Keith B. Letourneau, and Andrew P. Cross participated in panel sessions, joined by knowledgeable panelists from the energy industry, while Catarina Gonzales, a Member of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, delivered the keynote address through a question and answer session moderated by Professor Tracy Hester.