Energy Law
Current Offerings
Energy Law (2503): The regulation of the energy industry in the United States is complex, broad and enforced by a variety of federal and state governmental entities. Further, it is continually evolving in response to global and national events, market shifts, political dynamics and priorities, and technological advances, including economic liberalization and open access policies, tightening environmental regulation and the need to transition the electric power industry and other parts of the energy industry consistent with decarbonization goals. Multiple federal and state agencies, departments and other governmental entities regulate energy development, and the ownership, control and operation of electric energy, natural gas and oil production, transmission/transportation and distribution of energy resources, including with respect to the rates, terms and conditions of wholesale and retail services, as well as energy market rules. This course will provide an introduction to energy law, regulation and policy in the United States with a focus on the electric power and natural gas industries. With respect to the electric power industry, the course will cover federal and state laws, regulations and policies regarding the generation, transmission and distribution, and wholesale and retail sales of electric energy, capacity and ancillary services. With respect to the natural gas industry, the course will cover federal and state laws, regulations, and policies as relates to the transportation, storage and distribution, and wholesale and retail sales of natural gas, with a focus on open access policies in the natural gas industry that served as the foundation for open access policies in the electric power industry. The course will also provide an overview of recent developments of importance in these industries, with a focus on the ongoing clean energy transition, especially as related to the electric power industry. The first part of the course will focus on the theory and practice of utility regulation and its evolution from common law to administrative regulation. The second part of the course will briefly cover the natural gas industry with a focus on the development of open access transportation and competitive supply beginning in the 1990s and more recent developments relating to the shale gas revolution. The third part of the course will cover the electricity industry with a focus on the development of open access transmission and competitive wholesale markets and related developments in retail markets. The fourth part of the course will cover the clean energy transition with a focus on clean energy and clean energy enabling technologies, including distributed energy technologies, products, and services, as well as efforts related to the clean energy transition and decarbonization efforts. Elements used in grading: attendance, class participation, periodic quizzes on assigned readings, and a final class writing assignment.
Sections
Past Offerings
Energy Law (2503): This course is an introduction to U.S. energy law. The first portion of the course introduces the nation's sources of energy: coal, oil, biofuels, natural gas, hydropower, nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal energy, and energy efficiency. In doing so, it explores the physical, market, and legal structures within which these energy sources are extracted, transported, and converted into energy. The second portion of the course turns to the two major sectors of our energy economy--electricity and transportation--and the range of federal and state regulation of each sector. The third portion of the course explores case studies of hot topics in energy law and policy that highlight the complex transitions taking place in the energy system. These topics may include electric grid modernization, the role of energy innovation in addressing climate change, and the continued role of nuclear energy. Elements used in grading: class participation, weekly written postings on the course Canvas site, and a final exam.
Sections
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2024-2025 WinterSchedule No Longer Available
Energy Law (2503): The supply of a safe, reliable, low-cost and clean energy for the United States is a key determinant of current and future prosperity. It is also the most important element of both state and federal decarbonization efforts. Electric utilities are also among the most heavily regulated of large firms. This statutory and regulatory framework is composed of a complex patchwork of overlapping state and federal rules that is constantly evolving to meet emerging challenges. In this course, students will acquire a basic understanding of the law of rate-based regulation of utilities. We will then examine the history of natural gas pipeline regulation in the United States, concluding with the introduction of market competition into US natural gas markets and the advent of shale gas. Next, we will cover the basics of the electricity system, including consumer demand, grid operations, power plant technologies and electricity sector economics. We will then revisit cost of service rate regulation as it has been applied in the electricity context. Next, we will examine reform of both rate-regulated and wholesale market-based structures, focusing on various attempts to introduce market competition into specific segments of the industry. Finally, students will examine various approaches to subsidization of utility scale renewable energy and the growth and compensation of distributed energy resources. Throughout, the course will focus on the sometimes cooperative, sometimes competing, but ever evolving federal and state roles in regulating the supply of electric power as a unique example of cooperative federalism. Students will write two 1000-word response papers during the quarter in addition to taking a final exam (composed of two 1000-word essays). Elements used in grading: Class participation (20%), written assignments (40%), and final exam (40%).
Sections
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2023-2024 SpringSchedule No Longer Available