The energy industry has been at the center of the development of many antitrust laws. In particular, the oil industry has been the source of many seminal antitrust cases. The electric and natural gas industries also have contributed several seminal cases, but have been subject to substantial if not complete antitrust immunity in light of pervasive federal and state regulation until the introduction of competition in the late 1980s and 1990s. Although the electric and natural gas industries continue to be subject to less pervasive regulation, new antitrust issues and concerns about "market manipulation" have become the focus of scrutiny in the electric, natural gas, and petroleum industries.

This third edition of the Energy Antitrust Handbook presents a guide to an industry that has great importance to the U.S. economy. It is written to assist energy, regulatory, and antitrust lawyers in understanding the multilayered complexity of this field by providing a basic background on antitrust issues in the energy industry. By reading this book, lawyers already familiar with antitrust law will gain an understanding of related energy issues, the market structure, and the application of the antitrust laws to these industries. Lawyers and executives already familiar with the energy industry, but not with antitrust law, will find this book provides an understanding of the antitrust laws applicable to energy.