LAW 272P - Federal Energy Regulation Practicum.

The class will study the development of the Federal energy regulatory system focusing on Federal regulation of the electric utility and nuclear power industries. The semester will begin with background information related to the necessity for regulation of certain industries and development of regulatory bodies and basic statutes and regulations. We then move to how the relevant statutes have been interpreted by the courts to structure the regulatory bodies - primarily the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission - and the industries as we see them today. There is a heavy emphasis on current and ongoing regulatory and other developments in each industry. Beyond the subject-matter of the course, it also serves as a graduate-level course in administrative law; students learn from a practical approach how administrative agencies really function.

There is no casebook, but students are given a detailed syllabus that includes the course materials, such as court and agency cases, statutes, legislative histories, regulations, statements of consideration, law review and other articles. There is no exam in the course; students not only participate in classroom reading and discussion, but also, working in groups, perform research assignments, address practice problems and complete a major research project. In the past years the class has had visiting speakers active in the relevant practice areas and has taken trips to Washington, DC to meet with law firms and/or industry organizations.

The class is conducted as a seminar with a collegial practice-oriented atmosphere. The professor acts as the senior partner in the firm’s energy practice and the students as junior associates. The objective of the course is to prepare the students to move into a work environment in the practice area - whether it be a law firm, corporate law department or government regulatory agency – and be of immediate substantive use.Five hours.Carr