LAW543 Energy Law

This course surveys the legal methods by which the major sources of energy in the prairie provinces are produced and transported. The course examines the role of energy in the world and future trends, with a focus on Alberta’s position and experience. It deals with the ownership of natural resources and the interaction between the Crown and Aboriginal peoples since the earliest days of European settlement. Additionally, it addresses the development of natural resource policies and laws as European settlement spread westward and the developing role of First Nations in resource development.

The course examines how courts have characterized the legal nature of interests in oil and gas and the regulatory and policy consequences of their characterizations. It considers the acquisition and disposition of interests in hydrocarbon resources through the lease instrument and the role of royalties across natural resource industries. Finally, the course raises the legal issues involved in the development of renewable energy in the form of solar and wind power and explores emerging sources of energy such as geothermal resources and hydrogen comparing and contrasting issues in oil and gas development with renewable energy.