Overview of Energy and Natural Resources Law

Energy and natural resources law deals with resource management and energy production. Federal and state regulatory agencies manage energy production, land regulations, and environmental protection and sustainability.

For individuals and property owners, energy and natural resource law may affect their resource extraction, development, and property rights. For legal advice about the laws in your area, talk to a local energy and natural resources law attorney.

What Is Energy and Natural Resources Law?

Energy and natural resource law is the legal practice area dealing with how the government, businesses, and people use natural and energy resources.

Energy law can involve various nonrenewable and renewable energy sources. Nonrenewable energies include:

• Coal
• Natural gas
• Petroleum and oil
• Nuclear energy

Renewable energy sources include:

• Wind energy
• Solar energy
• Hydroelectric power

These sources of energy power homes, cars, and factories. Energy and natural resource law can affect everything from extracting energy from natural resources, delivering energy, and what happens when pollution harms people and property.

Energy and natural resource laws overlap with other legal areas, including environmental law, real estate law, property law, and administrative law, as different rights are weighed against one another. For example, while property owners are entitled to use their property for their benefit — including extracting oil and mineral resources — others have a right to enjoy their property free from pollution and environmental damage. Laws and regulations balance these interests.

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Common Legal Issues in Energy and Natural Resources Law

Energy and resource law involves a wide variety of legal issues. Common legal topics involving natural resource law include:

• Sustainable development
• Energy efficiency standards
• Water rights and mineral laws
• Forestry and logging regulations
• Energy delivery and usage rate regulation
• Environmental protection and climate change policies

Land Use and Energy Regulations

Governments regulate the use of public lands, emissions, and development. Agencies must balance the interests of multiple stakeholders, including environmental protection groups and the energy sector’s business interests.

Property owners and the energy industry generally want limited environmental regulations to maximize resource extraction. However, public and environmental interest groups want a strong regulatory framework to reduce pollution, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and preserve public lands.

There are several federal agencies involved in regulating and managing energy and natural resources, including:

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
• Energy Information Administration (EIA)

The federal government’s energy policies often change when there is a change in administration. In addition, there are often conflicts between federal and state or local environmental policies. Federal authority can preempt some state regulatory authority.

Who Needs an Energy and Natural Resources Lawyer?

Companies, land owners, and people with environmental concerns can all have energy and natural resource issues that would benefit from an attorney’s experience. You can contact an energy attorney to enforce environmental regulations or get compensation for property damage.

Land owners with mineral rights may want to extract oil, gas, or other valuable natural resources. An energy lawyer can explain the landowner’s property rights and process to sell or access their energy resources. An attorney can also represent landowners in any property right legal disputes.

Companies extracting, refining, delivering, or using energy may have to deal with government energy regulations. Businesses can face investigations, legal injunctions, or civil penalties for violating energy laws. An energy and natural resource lawyer can represent these companies and help them with compliance or negotiating with government energy agencies.

Finding the Right Attorney for Your Needs

For energy and natural resource legal issues, the right attorney has experience with your type of claim and understands local energy and resource laws. Find a local energy and natural resource law attorney for the most accurate and up-to-date legal advice.