This thesis is a study of the problem of intergenerational equity and the optimal depletion of finite resources. A review of the economics literature on the subject precedes an interdisciplinary study of equity in static and intertemporal contexts. Reasons for the use of non-market rules for depletion policies are examined. A simulation model of the Canadian natural gas industry, which integrates non-market rules similar to those used for Canadian gas exports for the last thirty years, is developed to assist in the evaluation of these types of rules, focusing on their intergenerational impacts.

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