Joint Program on Major Shale Plays – December 6-7
The Rocky Mountain and the Energy & Mineral Law Foundations are co-sponsoring a two-day national conference in Pittsburgh on Development Issues in the Major Shale Plays. You can register online or download a complete program brochure from the Rocky Mountain website by clicking http://www.rmmlf.org. We currently have more than 200 people registered.

More than 20 speakers will explore the legal and technical challenges facing the oil and gas industry in the development of major shale plays throughout the country, with an emphasis on the Marcellus Shale Play.

With AAPL as a supporting organization, and the Rocky Mountain and Energy & Mineral Law Foundations as co-sponsors, many individuals in the industry can take advantage of member registration fees for this conference. We hope to see you in Pittsburgh for this excellent educational and networking opportunity.

October 29 Deadline for Annual Institute Topic Submissions
The EMLF’s 32nd Annual Institute will be May 15-17, 2011 at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa near Farmington, PA. The Program Chair for the Annual Institute is Frank Harrington, Alpha Natural Resources, Coal Chair is Dan Wolff, Crowell & Moring LLP, and Oil and Gas Chair is Nicolle Bagnell, Reed Smith LLP.

The EMLF Executive Committee and Program Chairs will meet November 4 to review and select topics for presentations and papers. Speakers at the annual institute must also write a law review quality chapter for publication in volume 32 of the Energy & Mineral Law Institute. Topics and brief description or outline should be submitted to sharon@emlf.org for presentations covering any area of energy development, oil & gas, coal, mining, power generation, environmental, landmen, or water-related resources law.

October Energy Careers Programs Draw Over 150 Students
The EMLF “Energy Careers” project to encourage law students to consider a future energy law practice is attracting more and more attendees, with October programs at Appalachian School of Law, Duquesne Law School, Pittsburgh School of Law and Washington & Lee University.

EMLF members visit EMLF member law schools and talk with students about their own career path after law school, what their daily work routine is like, and answer student questions.

Many thanks for these EMLF speakers during October: Appalachian School of Law, Professor Buzz Belleville, ASL, Grundy, VA; Ben Hadary, Alpha Natural Resources, Abingdon, VA; Judge Elizabeth McClanahan, Virginia Court of Appeals; and Sharon Pigeon, VA Department of Mines & Minerals, Big Stone Gap, VA. At the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, the following Pittsburgh lawyers spoke: Donald Bluedorn, Babst Calland Clements & Zomnir; John Boyd II, John T. Boyd Company; Natalie Jefferis, EQT Corp.; and David Laurent, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney.

At Duquesne Law School, Pittsburgh lawyers Kevin Douglass, Babst Calland Clements & Zomnir; Natalie Jefferis, EQT Corp.; and David Laurent, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney spoke, along with Visiting Professor Gina Warren from Duquesne. At Washington & Lee, Professor Al Carr at W&L, Mary Beth Naumann, Jackson Kelly (Lexington, KY); Greg Ossi, Venable (Vienna, VA); and Joel Symonds, EQT Corp., (Charleston, WV) were speakers. The Washington & Lee program was also recorded for in-house student viewing. Many thanks to our volunteers.

On November 3 at noon, EMLF members will speak at West Virginia University College of Law, with panelists Tom Allen, Dominion (Clarksburg, WV); Blair Gardner, Jackson Kelly (Charleston, WV); Carol Marunich, Dinsmore & Shohl (Morgantown, WV); and Ben Sullivan, EQT Corp., (Charleston, WV).

Writing Opportunity for Law Students
JURIST invites EMLF student members to contribute an article to Dateline, JURIST’s student commentary service. JURIST is the ABA and Webby award-winning legal news and research service hosted at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Dateline contributors see their work reach JURIST’s 50,000+ weekly readers from over 160 countries. Articles emphasize students’ experiences in areas of national or international importance, such as energy and mineral law, and are between 1000-1200 words. If you’re interested in this opportunity, contact Senior Editor Joseph Schaeffer at juristdateline@gmail.com. Past articles can be found at jurist.org/dateline.

After attending the EMLF’s 2010 Coal Law Short Course at WVU, Joseph Schaeffer wrote “Appalachia: Coal Law and Property Rights” published in the JURIST.

New EMLF Members
EMLF welcomes the Pittsburgh law firm of Tucker Arensberg, 1500 One PPG Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, as a new Supporting Member, with attorneys Bruce F. Rudoy and Eric M. Schumann, plus marketing assistant Valerie Levanduski.

Alex Shain, Core Minerals Operating Co., Inc., 25 NY Riverside Drive, Suite 300, Evansville, IN 47708 has joined the Foundation as an individual member. Three law students also joined the Foundation in October: Katherine Lloyd Johnson, Appalachian School of Law; Adam Morgan, Duquesne University; and James Mazzocco, University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Kentucky Mineral Law Conference Draws 275 Attendees
Attorneys and landmen from 15 states (Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia) and Washington, DC gathered in Lexington October 13-15 for the annual program covering energy and mineral law issues. Over a dozen law students from the University of Kentucky College of Law and the Appalachian School of Law also attended.

The 2011 Kentucky Mineral Law Conference is scheduled for October 12-14 in Lexington.