United States energy law

Main article: Energy law

United States energy law is a function of the federal government, states, and local governments. At the federal level, it is regulated extensively through the United States Department of Energy. Every state, the federal government, and the District of Columbia collect some motor vehicle excise taxes.[1] Specifically, these are excise taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, and gasohol.[1] While many western states rely a great deal on severance taxes on oil, gas, and mineral production for revenue, most states get a relatively small amount of their revenue from such sources.[2]

The practice of energy law has been the domain of law firms working on behalf of utility companies, rather than legal scholars or other legal actors (such as private lawyers and paralegals), especially in Texas, but this is changing. Some officials from energy agencies may take jobs in the utilities or other companies they regulate, such as the former FERC chairman did in 2008.[3]

The American Bar Association (ABA) has a Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, which is a "forum for lawyers working in areas related to environmental law, natural resources law, and energy law."[4] The Section houses several substantive committees on environmental and energy law that release current information on topics of interest to practitioners and news of committee activities.[5] The ABA recognized 'environmental and energy law' as one of the practice areas where legal work may be found in 2009.[6]

The United States' oil production peaked in February 2020, at about 18,826,000 barrels per day.[7]

  1. ^ a b Motor Fuel Excise Tax Rates as of January 1, 2008 from the Federation of Tax Administrators website. Retrieved February 24, 2009. Archived February 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ 2007 State Tax Collection by Source from the Federation of Tax Administrators website. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
  3. ^ "Former FERC Chairman Joins Husch Blackwell Sanders", August 4, 2008, found at Marketwatch story[permanent dead link]. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  4. ^ Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources of the American Bar Association website. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  5. ^ "Committee Finder". Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  6. ^ Deborah L. Cohen and Julie Kay, "Where the Work IS," ABA Journal, August 2009, pp. 58-61, at 59.
  7. ^ "U.S. Filed Production of Crude Oil". United States Energy Information Administration. May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.