Law and power relations in risk governance of oil and gas activities in the Russian north

This thesis is a socio-legal interdisciplinary study of risk governance in the oil and gas sector in the Russian North. Against a backdrop of the author's experience of training to be and working as a lawyer in both Siberia and the United States, it is based on four types of sources: (i) texts of relevant policies, laws, and administrative regulations; (ii) transcripts of official presidential meetings, addresses, and speeches on matters relevant to oil and gas development; (iii) observations obtained during fieldwork, including data from semistructured interviews; and (iv) energy statistics and results of various public polls. After a review of the basic characteristics and trends of the industry, highlighting the distinctive role hydrocarbons play in the Russian economy, society, and politics, the argument starts with theories of risk and risk governance in the context of the global energy sector. Moving on to rules of risk governance, the discussion homes in on how these rules actually work in the policy, legal, and regulatory regime of Russia. A subsequent chapter introduces the conceptual common denominator for analysing the dynamic between the principal parties in risk governance - the social concept of power. It includes a study of a trunk pipeline called (appropriately) the Power of Siberia, in which law emerges as a demarcation of sovereign power. The next chapter explains particular challenges of risk governance of the oil and gas sector through the concept of network power. The final chapter examines sovereign power structures responsible for governing risk posed by oil and gas activities, and the allocation of such risks and benefits, in Russia's 'Petrostate'. Throughout the thesis, the relevant Russian policy, legal, and regulatory regime, which serves as the case study, is closely interwoven with wider social theory. This study contributes to risk theory by proposing the Risk Governance Power Framework, an analytical framework for understanding power relations that shape risk governance of the oil and gas sector. The framework asserts that the following three factors play critical roles in influencing the power relations: (i) the strength of network power behind the hazardous activity; (ii) the capacity of the sovereign power structures and agents responsible for governing risks related to the activity to counter-balance the network power behind the hazardous activity; and (iii) the spatial and temporal allocation of individual and public risks and benefits. The network power of the oil and gas sector is premised on three dependences: technological, socio-economic, and political

Vemont

This Article opens with a discussion of the Vermont Natural Gas and Oil Conservation Act. In this section, the Act\u27s statutory purposes, its main features and themes, and the role of the Vermont Natural Gas and Oil Resources Board are considered. The Act is examined in comparison to the 2004 Model Oil and Gas Conservation Act. The second part of this Article is devoted to H. 464. In this section, the potential for developing unconventional oil and gas resources in Vermont is discussed, along with H. 464\u27s legislative history and key provisions

Creating arctic carbon lock-in: case study of new oil development in the South Kara Sea

The overarching goal of this paper is to highlight the importance of considering the climate change implications of oil development in the Arctic. The current global climate change regime lacks universal emissions controls, thereby creating an opportunity for “carbon leakage.” Fossil fuels, no matter where extracted, find their way to countries that are not subject to mandatory emissions reductions. The recent rush to explore vast hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic may significantly contribute to the existing carbon lock-in. To illustrate the dangers of the Arctic carbon lock-in, this paper explores the development of new oil production capacity in the South Kara Sea in Russia

At the crossroads of policy ambitions and political reality: reflections on the prospects of LNG development in Russia

With world's largest conventional natural gas reserves, flat domestic demand, and uncertain demand for pipeline gas exports, Russia is poised to become an important player in the global LNG market. Indeed, the Russian leadership named LNG development as one of the key features of its energy policy. This article aims to examine this policy ambition and reflect on the barriers to and opportunities in realising it. The article provides an overview of LNG projects in Russia and examines the policy rationale for their expansion

Rethinking the scale, structure & scope of U.S. energy institutions

This essay notes some of the key institutions created in the twentieth century for the purpose of delivering energy in North America. Those institutions are being challenged by a combination of stresses in three interconnected areas: reliability, economics, and environmental sustainability. The essay argues that these three stresses create an “energy trilemma” requiring institutional reform. We suggest that new and modi½ed institutions can best be understood if we evaluate them along three dimensions: institutional scale, structure, and scope. We consider real-world examples of recent institutions in light of each of these dimensions and note both successes and concerns that those factors illuminate. We conclude by noting that some institutional changes will be organic and unplanned; but many others, including responses to climate change, will bene½t from conscious attention to scale, structure, and scope by those engaged in designing and building the energy institutions needed in the twenty-½rst century

When foundation matters: overcoming legal and regulatory barriers to oil and gas well decommissioning in Russia

The Russian Federation has an acute problem of orphan and runaway oil and gas wells. Deficiencies in the decommissioning requirements under Russian law are one of the main causes of the problem. The principal aim of this article is to explore the legal origins of barriers to effective and efficient decommissioning in Russia and propose potential solutions. The article begins with an overview of the current legal and regulatory framework governing permanent and temporary decommissioning in the context of the Russian legal system's particularities. A critique of the contradicting statutory and regulatory provisions and excessively prescriptive requirements is offered. The article continues with exploring the problem that compounds the shortcomings of the decommissioning legal framework-a misalignment of the legal status of a well under property laws and the laws and administrative regulations governing oil and gas well decommissioning. The article concludes with recommendations regarding the initial step to remedy this complex and compounded problem

Cyber threats, harsh environment and the European High North (EHN) in a human security and multi-level regulatory global dimension: Which framework applicable to critical infrastructures under “Exceptionally critical infrastructure conditions” (ECIC)?

Business opportunities in the European High North (EHN) are accompanied by the danger of cyber-threats, especially to critical infrastructures which in these Arctic regions become “extra critical” because of the harsh environmental climatic conditions and remoteness of distances. Critical infrastructures (CI) in the EHN are crucial for numerous sectors, such as the energy sector which is completely depended on digitalization, internet and computers’ commands. Such a new condition of extra criticality should also include human security concerns to avoid human disasters. An effective legal framework under “exceptionally critically infrastructure conditions” (ECIC) for this technology is important not only in terms of national legislation, but also in view of a regional, international and global networks character. This paper links for the first time, law, internet and cybersecurity, environment and society in a global human security dimension in a multi-regulatory contextual analysis. The aim is to trace the legal framework for response to a cyber-attack to critical infrastructure in the energy sector and takes Norway as a case study because this country is highly dependent on cyber technology and on critical infrastructures. The question of research is: using a human security focus in the case of cyber-threats under ECIC in the EHN, what ways can an assessment recommend to improve international, and regional law? Five analytical tasks are undertaken: 1) the concept of critical infrastructure vulnerability to cyber-attacks under “exceptionally critically infrastructure conditions” (ECIC) in the EHN with focus on the energy sector is explained in connection to the notion of human security, 2) a backdrop of regional and international collaboration is followed, 3) a trajectory of multilevel contextual analysis of the different sources of law and policy applicable to cyber-threats to CI is outlined, and 4) an examination of cooperation under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Climate change, environmental threats and cybersecurity in the European High North

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Gain without pain: an international case for a tradable green certificates system to foster renewable energy development in Ukraine

This paper elaborates on the theoretical and methodological fundamentals of a tradable green certificates system to foster renewable energy development in Ukraine. It proposes a management mechanism premised on the classical market model of tradable green certificates aiming at increasing the share of electricity from renewable energy sources in the country's energy mix. Organizational stages of the mechanism formation at the national level and a methodological approach to assess green electricity generation cost are developed. The modeling has shown that the annual increase in the cap for green electricity consumption by 1% will raise the electricity tariff by 3%, which is not a significant financial burden for consumers. The proposed changes in the tradable green certificates system can be an effective management tool to achieve the required amount of electricity from renewable energy sources in the country's total electricity consumption and to foster the development of the Ukrainian renewable energy sector