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Federal Electricity Regulation

Learn about the federal agencies and acts that regulate electric utilities, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act.

Transcript

I. History of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

The history of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, began with the creation of the Federal Power Commission in 1920. The Federal Power Commission was created to provide licenses for hydroelectric projects on waters owned by the federal government. In 1938, Congress passed the Natural Gas Act, which gave the Federal Power Commission authority to regulate interstate electric utilities powered by natural gas. After the oil...

Lessons

1. Welcome to Energy Law
2. The Energy Industry and Electric Utilities
  • The Electric System
  • Renewable Energy and Climate Change
  • Utility Regulatory Compact
  • Public-Utility Commissions
  • Wholesale Electricity Markets
  • Federal Electricity Regulation
3. Coal-Fired Electricity
  • Property Rights in Coal
  • Coal Mining Regulations
  • Coal-Fired Power Plant Emissions
  • Coal’s Decline in Popularity
4. Oil and Natural Gas
  • Property Rights in Oil and Gas
  • Fracking and Offshore Drilling
  • Transporting Oil and Gas
  • Oil and Gas Markets
5. Nuclear Energy
6. Wind Energy
  • Benefits of Wind Energy
  • Intermittent Nature of Wind
  • Impacts on Wildlife and the Environment
  • Rights to Wind
  • Government Support for Wind Energy
7. Hydropower and Solar Energy
  • Hydropower Facilities and Regulation
  • Environmental Impacts of Hydropower
  • Solar Energy
  • Solar Access and Grid Issues
8. Other Energy Resources and Energy Issues
  • Waste-to-Energy Facilities and Biomass
  • Geothermal and Ocean Energy
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Transportation Energy Policies
  • Energy Storage and Electric Vehicles