The Double Helix of Supremacy and Commerce Clause Constitutional Restraints Encircling the New Energy Frontier

Authors

Steven Ferrey, Suffolk University Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Northwestern Interdisciplinary Law Review

Abstract

This article unwinds the legal double helix to examine the constitutional jurisdictional assault on American energy infrastructure and law. We examine pivotal elements of the Commerce Clause, the Supremacy Clause, and procedural aspects of ongoing challenges on energy and climate change law. We untwist and dissect energy law and regulation, focusing on key cases in the East, the Midwest, and California. In integrating the recent federal court interpretations, the Article I and VI constitutional double helix remains the critical legal restriction arresting the future of U.S. energy policy and infrastructure. Each region's law creates a distinct wedge into energy infrastructure, and the viability of state regulation encountering constitutional 'trip wires.' This article explores recent state energy law, successful complex constitutional challenges to its viability, and the resultant constitutional U.S. energy future.

First Page

1

Last Page

68

Publication Date

Spring 2014

Recommended Citation

Steven Ferrey, The Double Helix of Supremacy and Commerce Clause Constitutional Restraints Encircling the New Energy Frontier, 7 Nw. Interdisciplinary L. Rev. 1 (2014).

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License