2023 FELJ Mogel Internship Award: William "Alex" Orr
The Foundation of the Energy Law Journal (FELJ) and the University of Tulsa College of Law (UT) are pleased to announce the recipient of the FELJ’s Mogel Internship Award for 2023. This year’s recipient is William "Alex" Orr, and he will be placed with the legal department of the Grand River Dam Authority.
William "Alex" Orr (Class of '24) is an executive editor of the UT Year in Review publication, as well as a member of the prestigious Energy Law Journal. His hometown is Bentonville, Arkansas. He earned his BA from the University of Tulsa in Political Science and Creative Writing. He has gained legal experience working with the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office, and the Boeheim Freeman law firm. The UT Sustainable Energy and Natural Resources Law (SERL) program has offered a unique opportunity for Alex to discover a type of law that he never imagined practicing prior to law school, but finds exciting to learn about. He wrote a fascinating note on "Considering Monopoly and Policy in the Electric Market: the 9th Circuit's Ellis v. Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District."
Alex's favorite classes he has taken in his time at TU include Water Law with Professor Warigia Bowman and Environmental Law with Professor Jeri Fleming. The unique classes being offered in energy and resource law at TU Law allow for a diverse learning experience, as well as great talking points for future job placements in the energy and resource field. Upon graduation, Alex hopes to stay in the Tulsa area and practice in the areas of energy or water.
Alex will be working with the Grand River Dam Authority. The Grand River Dam Authority was created by the 15th Oklahoma Legislature in April 1935. Established as a “conservation and reclamation district for the waters of the Grand River” the new agency was charged with building dams along the river for the purposes of hydroelectric generation and flood control. Today, GRDA’s beneficial mixture of generation resources includes coal, gas and water resources but also a 36 percent interest in the Red Bud Plant (Luther, Oklahoma) and output from several Oklahoma wind farms, through power purchase agreements. GRDA's mission celebrates employees, electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship and efficiency.
Alex will have the opportunity to work on a variety of exciting legal issues which combine water, energy and infrastructure, including:
- Inflation Reduction Act
- Application of Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to Non-Jurisdictional Utilities
- Opportunities for Reform of Federal Permitting Requirements
- Clean Air Act and New EPA Regulations
- Proposed Changes to the Federal Power Act