Regulation of Energy Extraction (20297). 2 or 3 units. This comparative risk course will explore the troubled intersection between energy and environmental policies. We will consider a diverse range of regulatory approaches to minimize adverse environmental effects of various forms of energy development. These include emerging issues regarding hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in the United States and European Union; regulation of off-shore drilling and lessons from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; liability for natural resources and other damages from oil spills under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90); the Fukushima, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear accidents; applicability of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to oil and coal leases on federal lands; the Endangered Species Act; visual pollution and other issues relating to windfarms; coal mine disasters; mountaintop mining and the Mine Safety Act; and tailings piles and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA). The class will conclude by considering how concerns about climate change may affect the future of energy development. No prerequisites. Supervised Analytic Writing or Substantial Paper credit available. Enrollment capped at thirty. Self-scheduled examination or paper option. E.D. Elliott.

Note: No more than three absences are permitted.