U.S. Energy Law: An Introduction
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Germaine Leahy
About Energy Law
"The precise contours and definition of what might constitute an energy law field remains debated, given its intersection with other prominent areas like environmental law and climate law. Even so, scholars have identified a range of emerging characteristics that may over time give identity to energy law, including a focus on justice, security and reliability, sustainability, multijurisdictional laws, and...interdisciplinarity and the prevalence of balancing conflicting interests."
Source: Cameron Holley et al., Power, Conflict and Energy Law: Learning from Unconventional Natural Gas, Non-State Actors, Industry and Government, 18 Tex. J. Oil Gas & Energy L. 3 (2023). 
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2024 Energy Primer: A Handbook of Energy Market Basics
(Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Office of Energy Policy and Innovation)
"This primer is written to be used either as a traditional text – read front to back – or as a reference guide."
Study Aids
The GW Law Library provides access to the Aspen Learning Library, which includes the Examples & Explanations series and CrunchTime study guides; and the LexisNexis Digital Library, which includes the Understanding and Q&A series. When prompted to login, use your GW Law email address and password.
Print study aids may be borrowed from the Reserve Collection at the Law Library's Circulation/Reserve Desk for up to 2 hours. Older editions may be found in the Law Library stacks. For more study aids in the Law Library's collection, please consult our Study Aids guide.
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Climate Change and Sustainable Development Law
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Discusses how the U.S. legal system fosters greenhouse gas reduction, energy conservation, and sustainable patterns of growth including energy efficient and sustainable buildings, the use of renewable energy resources, the protection of sequestering open space, and the adaptation of buildings and communities to sea level rise and natural disasters. -
Energy Law in a Nutshell, 4th ed.
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Chapters cover energy economics, energy policy, the administration of energy law, energy decision-making, oil, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear power, hydropower, clean and net-zero energy, and a just transition. -
Oil and Gas Law in a Nutshell, 8th ed.
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Covers the legal rules that govern the development of privately owned mineral rights in the United States, which often apply to government-owned resources. The nature, protection, and conveyance of oil and gas rights, leasing, and taxation are also discussed. -
Atomic Energy Law: A Law Textbook and Science Hornbook
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Chapters include: What is so special about special nuclear material?; Who's afraid of Virginia uranium?; Is radiation exposure good for you?; Environmental law applied to nuclear projects is a riddle wrapped in a mystery enclosed in an enigma!?!; Liability is the fourth pillar of atomic energy law; NRC; Radioactive material transport; keep the shiny side up!; and Deadlock over a geologic repository. -
Oil and Gas Law and Taxation, 2d ed.
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Discusses the substantive law of oil and gas and federal income taxation of oil and gas transactions. -
Cases and Materials on Oil and Gas Law, 8th ed.
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Examines the common law of oil and gas ownership and the remedies that protect and restrict ownership rights, the oil and gas "lease," problems encountered in oil and gas conveyancing, and legislative and regulatory responses to problems created by common-law ownership concepts, focusing on oil and gas conservation law. -
Energy, Economics and the Environment, 6th ed.
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Focuses on the unifying characteristics of energy law, while also emphasizing its connections to environmental and economic issues affecting energy industries.
Acronyms, Abbreviations, Terminology
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U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): Glossary
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U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC): Glossary
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U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC): Glossary
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GovSpeak: A Guide to U.S. Government Acronyms & Abbreviations(UC San Diego Library)
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Black's Law Dictionary, 12th ed. by Bryan A. Garner (Editor)This comprehensive law dictionary contains more than 55,000 law-related words and phrases and includes definitions of more than 1,000 abbreviations and acronyms.
Related Guides
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U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): Energy Explained
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Wex Legal Encyclopedia: Energy(Cornell University Law School's Legal Information Institute (LII))