Democratization, globalization, and increased environmental awareness have had a profound impact on the regulation of industry in the energy and natural resources sector. This book analyses the changes in character of the way this industry is regulated, and seeks to make connections with theoretical perspectives on regulation as a major part of the modern legal system.

Part I examines the emergence of alternatives to regulation, such as 'soft law' in developing countries, the European Electricity and Gas Directives of 1996 and 1998, the idea of regulation of company structure as opposed to performance, multi-faceted government alternative regulatory instruments, and market mechanics.

Part II analyses conventional methods of regulation, and how they have evolved, including case studies from the Netherlands, the USA, Singapore, New Zealand, and the UK.

Part III looks at regulatory innovations such as environmental audit, self-regulation, the 'Voluntary Action Plan', private-sector standard setting, and certification.

Part IV examines the role of non-state actors, and their response to national and supranational regulatory changes, and globalization.

Recent shifts in the perception of energy security, failures in energy company corporate governance, and evolving self-regulatory frameworks renders this a timely and worthy examination of the issues facing the energy and natural resources industry today.

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Alastair Lucas, Q.C. is a Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow at the Canadian Institute of Resource Law, University of Calgary. He has served as an Acting Member of Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board, as a Policy Advisor at Environment Canada, and as consul to the Nunavut Water Board and Alberta Environmental Appeals Board.

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'Review from previous edition One of the functions of law is to take a concept, like energy security, and reduce it to its legally significant components. Many of the essays in Energy Security contibute to this process significantly... Energy Security has made a valuable contribution to the development of what could become a key concept for evaluating the health of the energy sector. This collection of essays provides the attorney or economist interested in energy security with much to consider... When someone undertakes such a treatise, Energy Security will provide an important starting point.' James Chalker, Esquire, Pennsylvania USA

'... well-written, scholarly collection of contributed chapters brimming with practical and intellectual insight; and likely to be of enduring value ... this book will be an important source of guidance and clarification for energy policy-makers around the world at a time when the distinction between energy law and policy has never been more blurred.' Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law