Energy in the United States

Energy Law Resources

If you ever entertained any doubt about the importance of energy, look at the U.S. Code. Because almost every aspect of life involves energy in at least one of its many forms, references to it abound in fundamental U.S. legal theory.

Start with Title 7, Agriculture, Chapter 31, Rural Electrification and Telephone Service ( www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/7/ch31.html or http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/7/chapters/31/toc.html), then head for Title 15, Commerce and Trade ( www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/15/ or http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/15/toc.html), and look at Chapter 55, Petroleum Marketing Practices, and Chapter 71, Petroleum Overcharge Distribution and Restitution. Title 16, Conservation (www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/16/ or www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/30/ or http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/30/toc.html). Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare ( or http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/42/toc.html), deals with such topics as wind energy systems, magnetic fusion energy engineering, renewable energy and energy efficiency technology competitiveness and energy policy. Don’t forget Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Chapter 28, International Atomic Energy Agency Participation (www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/22/ch28.html or http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/22/chapters/28/toc.html), or Title 43, Public Lands, Chapter 34, Trans-Alaska Pipeline (www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/43/ch34.html or http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/43/chapters/34/toc.html).

Title 10, Energy (www4.law.cornell.edu/cfr/10cfr.htm#start), of the Code of Federal Regulations, deals with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy, and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, and Title 18, Conservation of Power and Water Resources (www4.law.cornell.edu/cfr/18cfr.htm#start), covers the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other agencies. FERC has a Web presence (www.ferc.gov/news/importantissuances/isuances.htm) that’s worth our tax dollars. It offers genuine policy statements, orders, and rulings apart from the usual propaganda pumped out by most government entities.

There’s so much energy-related law available on the Internet that you may feel as if you’ve been caught in an avalanche of information. Continuing on the federal level, the Department of Energy (DOE) (www.energy.gov/) naturally reflects the views of the current administration, yet it is full of policy and other documents important to any energy practitioner. One example, especially if you’ve kept track of the California situation, is the report on The Impact of Wholesale Electricity Price Controls on California Summer Reliability (www.energy.gov/HQPress/releases01/junpr/CA-0615.pdf), which strongly advised against the option of price controls. Data & Prices (www.energy.gov/dataandprices/index.html) provides an astounding amount of detailed fact about all elements of energy supply and demand, including prices, international outlook, market trends and much more. Another impressive DOE site is the Directives, Regulations, Policies and Standards Portal (www.directives.doe.gov/), a warehouse of official orders for anyone needing to research the varying positions of the agency. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (www.nrc.gov/NRC/radwaste.html), though refraining from spilling all of its secrets, does dish up enough material to keep you up to date with nuclear generation and disposal in the United States.

Considering California’s situation, the state seems sadly lacking in government agencies watching out for the public’s energy welfare. Among the few are the Energy Commission (www.energy.ca.gov/), with its Energy Statistics and Power Plants and Licensing information. Another is the Public Utilities Commission (www.cpuc.ca.gov/), which provides attorneys and consumers easy access to its decisions, rulings, orders, resolutions, and other official documents. The full text of the emergency energy orders signed by Gov. Gray Davis can be found at www.governor.ca.gov.

A number of sites focus on giving us access to a broad range of resources. Public Utility Commissions (PUCs)(www.appanet.org/general/links/pucs.htm) and Public Power Utilities (www.appanet.org/general/links/pputils.htm), from the American Public Power Association (www.appanet.org/), provide just what they promise by giving us the links to the state PUCs and energy generators. The National Association of State Energy Officials (www.naseo.org/) is self-serving but does keep you current on developments around the country.

Other websites:

• cs.ncsu.edu/solar/dsire/dsire.cfm – The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy
• gridwatch.com/ – Gridwatch.com

Energy Background

Finding the law: Energy in the U.S. Code

A collection of general and permanent laws relating to energy, passed by the United States Congress, are organized by subject matter arrangements in the United States Code (U.S.C.; this label examines energy topics), to make them easy to use (usually, organized by legal areas into Titles, Chapters and Sections). The platform provides introductory material to the U.S. Code, and cross references to case law. View the U.S. Code’s table of contents here.

Resources

See Also

• Legislative Energy Commission
• Renewable Energy Resources Act Of 1980
• Energy Department
• Energy Code
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Energy Programs
• Alternative Energy
• Solar Energy Research Development And Demonstration Act Of 1974
• Atomic Energy Act of 1954
• Department of Energy
• Department Of Energy Organization
• Magnetic Fusion Energy Engineering Act Of 1980
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act Of 1981

Further Reading

• Information about Energy in the Gale Encyclopedia of American Law.