page_title: United States energy law
section_title: Developments 2007 to present
hierarchical_section_title: United States energy law / Federal laws / Developments 2007 to present
caption_attribution_description: English: Hubbert's upper-bound prediction for US crude oil production (1956), and actual lower-48 states production through 2016
context_page_description: United States energy law is a function of the federal government, states, and local governments. At the federal level, it is regulated extensively through the United States Department of Energy.
  Every state, the Federal government, and the District of Columbia collect some motor vehicle excise taxes. Specifically, these are excise taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel, and gasohol. While many western states rely a great deal on severance taxes on oil, gas, and mineral production for revenue, most states get a relatively small amount of their revenue from such sources.
  The practice of energy law has been the domain of law firms working on behalf of utility companies, rather than legal scholars or other legal actors, especially in Texas, but this is changing. Some officials from energy agencies may take jobs in the utilities or other companies they regulate, such as the former FERC chairman did in 2008.
  The American Bar Association has a Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, which is a "forum for lawyers working in areas related to environmental law, natural resources law, and energy law."
context_section_description: Two Federal laws passed in 2007 were the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and the Food and Energy Security Act of 2007.
  The auto industry said federal regulators are pushing too far, too fast in their effort to raise fuel-mileage rules. The complaints from the industry, which had previously voiced support for tougher standards, underscore how economic hardship is affecting a major policy debate.
  — The Wall Street Journal
  The Biomass Research and Development Board was expected to release a report in late 2008 about biomass as fuel.
  In August 2008, it was revealed that oil speculators had increased the volatility of the price of oil; Congressman John Dingell criticized the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for failing to scrutinize oil futures traders, in particular the Swiss company Vitol. On June 22, 2008, Obama proposed the repeal of the Enron loophole as a means to curb speculation on skyrocketing oil prices.
  In October 2008, as the Democratic Party approached victory in the 2008 elections, they remained divided on energy policy, thus a consensus was not expected in energy law.  President Barack Obama's first Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, had no prior expertise in law.
  The Department of Energy (DOE) will, by administrative measures, reduce the Hanford nuclear reservation (originally 586 square miles) to 10 square miles.  Much of the remaining area will go to the 300-square-mile (780 km²) Hanford Reach National Monument.
  In October 2009, Secretary Chu announced a new program, Arpa-e, which will fund grants authorized under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
  The "Energy Credit for Qualified Fuel Cell Property and Qualified Microturbine Property" was created in 2008, but it appears to have expired as of 2013.
  Individual taxpayers may claim several energy credits to reduce their Federal Income taxes, if they file the Long Form 1040 along with Form 5695 attached.  These include the "Resident energy efficient property tax credit", and starting in the 2012 tax year, a "nonbusiness energy property credit".  Some of these provisions were extended by ARRA (see below) and by later bills.
caption: Hubbert's upper-bound prediction for US crude oil production (1956), and actual lower-48 states production through 2014
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