AMERICAN GAS ASS'N v. F.E.R.C.

No. 87-1588.

912 F.2d 1496 (1990)

AMERICAN GAS ASSOCIATION, Petitioner, v. FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, Respondent, The Independent Oil & Gas Association, Northwest Pipeline Corporation, El Paso Natural Gas Company, Bay State Gas Company, et al., Tenneco Oil Company, Apache Corporation, The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, City of Albany, et al., ONG Transmission Company, et al., Public Service Commission of the State of New York, Mobil Natural Gas, Inc., Conoco, Inc., Intervenors.

United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit.

Decided August 24, 1990.

As Amended August 27, 1990.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Raymond N. Shibley, with whom the following were on the joint brief for pipeline petitioners in 87-1588, et al.: Frank R. Lindh, John A. Sieger, and Judy M. Johnson for Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. and Trunkline Gas Co.; John H. Cheatham, III for Interstate Natural Gas Ass'n of America, Inc.; Paul E. Goldstein and Paul W. Mallory for Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America; Robert H. Benna and Terrence J. Collins for Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.; Michael R. Waller for United Gas Pipe Line Co.; Michael E. Small for Williams Natural Gas Co.; Daniel F. Collins and William W. Brackett for ANR Pipeline Co. and Colorado Interstate Pipeline Co.; William B. Grealis and Deborah A. MacDonald for Transwestern Pipeline Co.; and Stephen L. Huntoon for Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Co.

Jennifer N. Waters, with whom the following were on the joint brief for petitioner state com'n, distribution companies, and related agencies in 87-1588, et al.: Frederick Moring and Toni M. Fine for Associated Gas Distributors; William T. Miller and Susan N. Kelly for American Public Gas Ass'n; Roberta L. Halladay, Marilyn A. Specht, and C. William Cooper for United Distribution Companies; Richard A. Solomon and David D'Alessandro for Public Service Comm'n, State of N.Y.; Lynne H. Church and Robert Fleishman for Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.; Robert B. Langstaff for Board of Water Gas and Light Commissioners, Albany, Ga.; William I. Harkaway, Harvey L. Reiter, Barbara M. Gunther, and Martin J. Bregman for Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Kansas Power and Light Co., Kansas Public Service, Missouri Public Service, and Peoples Natural Gas Co.

Harvey L. Reiter, with whom the following were on the joint brief for petitioner distributors, consumers, end-users, state commissions, state agencies, and a natural gas marketer in 87-1588, et al.: William I. Harkaway and Barbara M Gunther for Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc., et al.; John K. Rosenberg and Martin J. Bregman for Kansas Power and Light Co.; William T. Miller and Susan N. Kelly for American Public Gas Ass'n; Joel L. Greene and Barbara S. Jost for Apache Powder Co., et al.; Frederick Moring, Jennifer N. Waters, and Toni M. Fine for Associated Gas Distributors; Joseph P. Stevens for The Brooklyn Union Gas Co.; Donald K. Dankner and Fred J. Killion for Central Hudson Gas and Elec. Corp., et al.; Arnold D. Berkeley, Richard I. Chaifetz, and Howard L. Nelson for City of Willcox, Arizona and Arizona Elec. Power Cooperative, Inc.; Robert J. Hirasuna for Hadson Gas Systems, Inc.; Jennifer N. Waters, Toni M. Fine, and Kenneth J. Neises for Laclede Gas Co.; Jeffrey M. Petrash and Daniel L. Schiffer for Michigan Consolidated Gas Co.; David I. Bloom for Northern Illinois Gas Co.; Margaret Ann Samuels for Office of the Consumers' Counsel, State of Ohio; Edward B. Myers for Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc.; Edward J. Grenier, Jr. and William H. Penniman for Process Gas Consumers Group, et al.; Stephen F. Greenwald, Lindsey How-Downing, and Patrick G. Golden for Pacific Gas and Elec. Co.; Thomas M. Patrick and Karen Lee for the Peoples Gas Light & Coke Co. and North Shore Gas Co.; Lawrence F. Barth and Veronica A. Smith for Pennsylvania Public Utilities Com'n; Richard A. Solomon and David D'Alessandro for Public Service Com'n, State of N.Y.; Janice E. Kerr, Michael B. Day, Edward W. O'Neill, and Harvey Y. Morris for Public Utilities Com'n of the State of Cal.; E.R. Island and David L. Huard for Southern California Gas Co.; Robert J. Haggerty, Dandrea Lynn Miller, and Robert B. Rice for Southern Union Gas Co.; William I. Harkaway for Southwest Gas Corp.; Frank J. Kelley, Louis J. Caruso, Don L. Keskey, Henry J. Boynton, Patricia S. Barone, Ronald D. Eastman, Lynda S. Mounts, and Joel Kaufman for State of Mich. and Michigan Public Service Com'n; Frederick Moring, Jennifer N. Waters, and Toni M. Fine for United Cities Gas Co.; Roberta L. Halladay, Marilyn A. Specht, and C. William Cooper for United Distribution Companies.

Thomas G. Johnson, with whom the following were on the joint brief for producer petitioners in 87-1588, et al.: Charles J. McClees, Jr. and James A. Ruoff for Shell Offshore Inc. and Shell Western E & P Inc.; Jack M. Wilhelm for Amoco Production Co.; R. Gordon Gooch for Anadarko Petroleum Co.; Richard G. Morgan for Apache Corp.; Harris S. Wood and Kathleen E. Magruder for Arco Oil and Gas Co.; Gerald P. Thurmond and David J. Evans for Chevron U.S.A. Inc.; Ernest J. Altegelt, III for Conoco, Inc.; C. Roger Hoffman and D.W. Rasch for Exxon Corp.; Toni D. Hennike and Gerald M. Bendo for Hunt Oil Co.; John J. Akins for Kerr-McGee Corp.; Robert C. Murray for Marathon Oil Co.; Paul F. O'Konski and Randolph C. Bruton for Mitchell Energy Corp.; Jay G. Martin for Mobil Natural Gas Inc. and Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc.; Michael L. Pate for OXY USA Inc.; John B. Chapman, Sylvia McCormack, and John K. McDonald for Pennzoil Company; Larry Pain and Luke A. Mickum for Phillips Petroleum Co. and Phillips 66 Natural Gas Co.; Ronald D. Hurst for Placid Oil Co.; John Wolfe for Rosewood Resources, Inc.; Ralph J. Pearson, Jr. for Texaco Inc.; Kenneth L. Riedman, Jr. for Union Oil Co. of California; Kerry R. Brittain for Union Pacific Resources Co.; and Timothy J. Jacquet for Union Texas Petroleum Corp.

William W. Brackett, with whom the following were on the joint brief for pipeline petitioners in 87-1588, et al.: Daniel F. Collins for ANR Pipeline Co. and Colorado Interstate Gas Co.; William G. von Glahn, Lewis A. Posekany, J. Diana Hall, and Michael E. Small for Williams Natural Gas Co.; Michael R. Waller and Jacob M. Hiatt for United Gas Pipeline Co.; Deborah A. MacDonald, Rockford G. Meyer, and William J. Grealis for Transwestern Pipeline Co.

Timothy N. Black, with whom the following were on the joint brief for certain petitioners and intervenors in opposition to continued use of disallowed deficiency-based allocation mechanism for take-or-pay pass-through in 87-1588, et al.: John H. Pickering, Stephen J. Small, and Mark D. Clark for Columbia Gas Transmission Corp.; Lynne H. Church, Robert Fleishman, and Jeffrey D. Watkiss for Baltimore Gas and Elec. Co.; Roger C. Post and Jack L. Shailer for Columbia Gas Distribution Companies; Stephen E. Williams, Kevin J. Lipson, John E. Holtzinger, and Charles C. Thebaud, Jr. for CNG Transmission Corp.; Paul S. Buckley for Maryland People's Counsel; Jeffrey M. Petrash for Michigan Consolidated Gas Co.; Margaret Ann Samuels for Office of the Consumers' Counsel, State of Ohio; Lindsey How-Downing, Merek E. Lipson, and Patrick G. Golden for Pacific Gas and Elec. Co.; and Christopher J. Barr for UGI Corp.

Charles F. Wheatley, Jr. and Philip B. Malter were on the brief for petitioner National Ass'n of Gas Consumers.

Arnold D. Berkeley was on the brief for petitioners City of Willcox, Ariz. and Arizona Elec. Power Cooperative, Inc.

Jeffrey M. Petrash for Michigan Consolidated Gas Co.; Frederick Moring, Jennifer N. Waters, and Toni M. Fine for Associated Gas Distributors; Robert Fleishman for Baltimore Gas and Elec. Co.; Margaret Ann Samuels for Office of Consumers' Counsel, State of Ohio; Kenneth J. Neises for Laclede Gas Co.; John M. Glynn for Maryland People's Counsel; Glenn W. Letham and Kenneth M. Albert for Memphis Light, Gas and Water Div., City of Memphis, Tenn.; Frank J. Kelley, Louis J. Caruso, Don L. Keskey, Henry J. Boynton, Patricia S. Barone, Ronald D. Eastman, Lynda S. Mounts, and Joel Kaufman for the State of Mich. and Michigan Public Service Com'n; and David L. Bloom for Northern Illinois Gas Co. also were on the joint brief for petitioners concerning contract demand reduction in 87-1588, et al.

Richard C. Green, Donald J. MacIver, Jr., Richard Owen Baish, Scott D. Fobes, and T. Rush Moody, Jr. entered appearances for petitioner El Paso Natural Gas Co. in 87-1588, et al.

Jerome M. Feit, Solicitor, F.E.R.C., with whom William S. Scherman, Gen. Counsel, Dwight C. Alpern and Jill Hall, Attys., F.E.R.C., were on the brief, for respondent in 87-1588, et al. John Estes and Joseph Davies, Attys., F.E.R.C., also entered appearances for respondent.

Edward J. Grenier, Jr., with whom the following were on the joint brief of intervenor industrial end user groups, state commissions, and consumer advocates in 87-1588, et al.: William H. Penniman, Glen S. Howard, and Sterling H. Smith for Process Gas Consumers Group, et al.; Paul S. Buckley for Maryland People's Counsel; Ronald D. Eastman, Lynda S. Mounts, and Joel Kaufman for State of Mich. and Michigan Public Service Com'n; Margaret Ann Samuels for Office of the Consumers' Counsel, State of Ohio; Janice E. Kerr, Michael B. Day, Edward W. O'Neill, and Harvey Y. Morris for Public Utilities Com'n of the State of Cal.; Richard A. Solomon and David D'Alessandro for Public Service Com'n, State of N.Y.; Robert F. Shapiro, Thomas E. Hirsch, III, and Gregory D. Chafee for American Paper Institute, Inc.; Lawrence F. Barth and Veronica A. Smith for Pennsylvania Public Utilities Com'n.

John H. Cheatham, III for Interstate Natural Gas Ass'n of America, Inc.; Raymond N. Shibley, Frank R. Lindh, and John A. Siegar for Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. and Trunkline Gas Co.; Paul E. Goldstein and Paul W. Mallory for Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America; Robert H. Benna and Terrence J. Collins for Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.; Michael R. Waller for United Gas Pipe Line Co.; Daniel F. Collins and William W. Brackett for ANR Pipeline Co. and Colorado Interstate Pipeline Co.; William B. Grealis and Deborah A. MacDonald for Transwestern Pipeline Co.; and Stephen L. Huntoon for Williston Basin Interstate Pipeline Co. were also on the joint brief for pipeline intervenors in 87-1588, et al.

Frederick Moring, Jennifer N. Waters, and Toni M. Fine for Associated Gas Distributors; William T. Miller and Susan N. Kelly for American Public Gas Ass'n; Richard A. Solomon and David D'Alessandro for Public Service Com'n, State of N.Y.; Robert Fleishman for Baltimore Gas and Elec. Co.; John W. Glendening, Jr. and Barbara K. Keffernan for the Berkshire Gas Co., et al.; Robert B. Langstaff for Board of Water Gas and Light Commissioners, Albany, Ga.; William I. Harkaway, Harvey L. Reiter, Barbara M. Gunther, and Martin J. Bregman for Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Kansas Power and Light Co., Kansas Public Service, Missouri Public Service, and Peoples Natural Gas Co.; Jennifer N. Waters, Toni M. Fine, and Kenneth J. Neises for Laclede Gas Co.; James F. Bowe, Jr. and O. Julia Weller for Long Island Lighting Co.; Glenn W. Letham and Kenneth M. Albert for Memphis Light Gas and Water Div., City of Memphis, Tenn.; Jeffrey M. Petrash and Daniel L. Schiffer for Michigan Consol. Gas Co.; Frank J. Kelley, Louis J. Caruso, Don L. Keskey, Henry J. Boynton, Patricia S. Barone, Ronald D. Eastman, Lynda S. Mounts, and Joel Kaufman for State of Mich. and Michigan Public Service Com'n; Charles F. Wheatley, Jr. for National Ass'n of Gas Consumers; Harry H. Voigt and M. Reamy Ancarrow for Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.; David I. Bloom for Northern Illinois Gas Co.; William A. Spratley and Margaret Ann Samuels for Office of the Consumers' Counsel, State of Ohio; Thomas M. Patrick, Mark J. McGuire, and Karen Lee for Peoples Gas Light & Coke Co. and North Shore Gas Co.; Lawrence F. Barth and Veronica A. Smith for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Com'n; William R. Hoatson and James R. Lacey for Public Service Elec. & Gas Co.; Janice E. Kerr and Harvey Y. Morris for the Public Utilities Com'n of the State of Cal.; Frank H. Stricklker, Gordon M. Grant, and Ralph E. Fisher for Washington Gas Light Co. were also on the joint brief for intervenors local distribution companies, state commissions, and related agencies in 87-1588, et al.

Charles J. McClees, Jr., James A. Ruoff, and Thomas G. Johnson for Shell Offshore Inc. and Shell Western E & P Inc.; Jack M. Wilhelm for Amoco Production Co.; R. Gordon Gooch and F. Nan Wagoner for Anadarko Petroleum Co.; Richard G. Morgan for Apache Corp.; Harris S. Wood and Kathleen E. Magruder for Arco Oil and Gas Co.; David J. Evans for Chevron U.S.A. Inc.; Ernest J. Altgelt, III for Conoco, Inc.; C. Roger Hoffman and D.W. Rasch for Exxon Corp.; Toni D. Hennike and Gerald M. Bendo for Hunt Oil Co.; John J. Akins for Kerr-McGee Corp.; Robert C. Murray for Marathon Oil Co.; R. Brent Harshman for Maxus Energy Corp.; Randolph C. Bruton for Mitchell Energy Corp.; Jay G. Martin for Mobil Natural Gas Inc. and Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc.; Michael L. Pate for OXY USA Inc.; John B. Chapman, Sylvia McCormack, and John K. McDonald for Pennzoil Co.; Larry Pain and Luke A. Mickum for Phillips Petroleum Co. and Phillips 66 Natural Gas Co.; Ronald D. Hurst for Placid Oil Co.; John Wolfe for Rosewood Resources, Inc.; Ralph J. Pearson, Jr. for Texaco Inc.; Kenneth L. Riedman, Jr. for Union Oil Co. of California; Kerry R. Brittain for Union Pacific Resources Co.; and Timothy J. Jacquet for Union Texas Petroleum Corp. also were on the joint brief for intervenors producers and the State of Louisiana in 87-1588, et al.

Charles F. Wheatley, Jr. and Philip B. Malter also were on the brief for intervenor National Ass'n of Gas Consumers.

David I. Bloom and Evan M. Tager for Northern Illinois Gas Co.; Frederick Moring, Jennifer N. Waters, and Toni M. Fine for Associated Gas Distributors; Harry H. Voigt and M. Reamy Ancarrow for Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation; Edward B. Myers for Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc.; Thomas M. Patrick for Peoples Gas Light and Coke Co. and North Shore Gas Co.; Lindsey How-Downing for Pacific Gas and Elec. Co.; E.R. Island and David L. Huard for Southern California Gas Co.; Jennifer N. Waters and Toni M. Fine for United Cities Gas Co. also were on the joint brief for intervenors Northern Illinois Gas Co., et al. in 87-1588, et al.

Robert C. Platt and Mark K. Seifert entered appearances for intervenor Independent Petroleum Ass'n of America.

Ivy Lincoln entered an appearance for intervenor Arkansas Public Service Com'n.

Richard C. Green also entered an appearance for intervenor El Paso Natural Gas Co.

Christopher K. Sandberg and Dennis D. Ahlers entered appearances for intervenor Energy Issues Intervention Office of the Minnesota Dept. of Public Service.

Norma K. Scogin and Sarah F. Miller entered appearances for intervenor Railroad Com'n of Texas.

Ralph E. Simon, Jr. entered an appearance for intervenor Transok, Inc.

Luis M. Guzman entered an appearance for intervenor Valero Transmission, L.P.

M. Frazier King, Jr. entered an appearance for intervenor Valero Interstate Transmission Co.

R. David Henrickson and Donna J. Bailey entered appearances for intervenor Southern Natural Gas Co.

Stephen A. Herman entered an appearance for intervenor Fertilizer Institute.

Patricia A. Curran entered an appearance for intervenor Cabot Corp.

Jerry M. Amos entered an appearance for intervenor Piedmont Natural Gas Co.

Charles H. Shoneman entered an appearance for intervenor Independent Oil & Gas Ass'n of West Virginia.

John W. Glendening, Jr. and Bruce B. Glendening entered appearances for intervenor Bay State Gas Co., et al.

Phyllis G. Rainey entered an appearance for intervenor Tenneco Oil Co.

Michael J. Manning, James F. Moriarty, and James P. White entered appearances for intervenor Tennessee Small General Service Customer Group.

James T. Bailey, Platt W. Davis, III, and David T. Andril entered appearances for intervenor Arkla Energy Resources.

Charles M. Darling, Stephen L. Teichler, and Sheryl S. Hendrickson entered appearances for intervenor Ashland Exploration, Inc.

C. Burnett Dunn and William I. Harkaway entered appearances for intervenor ONG Transmission Co., et al.

David P. Yaffe entered an appearance for intervenor Citizens Energy Corp., et al.

George L. Weber entered an appearance for intervenor National Fuel Gas Supply Corp.

John E. Holtzinger, Jr. and Jacolyn A. Simmons, Washington, D.C., entered appearances for intervenor Atlanta Gas Light Co.

F. Nan Wasgoner, Gordon Gooch, and Katherine B. Edwards, Washington, D.C., also entered appearances for intervenor Union Texas Petroleum Corp.

Before: WILLIAMS, D.H. GINSBURG and SENTELLE, Circuit Judges.


Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit Judge STEPHEN F. WILLIAMS.

STEPHEN F. WILLIAMS, Circuit Judge:

Table of Contents

I.   Introduction ..........................................................1503

II.  Inaction under Section 5 ..............................................1504
     A. Scope of Review ....................................................1504
     B. The Merits ..........................

Let's get started

Leagle.com

Welcome to the leading source of independent legal reporting
Sign on now to see your case.
Or view more than 10 million decisions and orders.

  • Updated daily.
  • Uncompromising quality.
  • Complete, Accurate, Current.

Listed below are the cases that are cited in this Featured Case. Click the citation to see the full text of the cited case. Citations are also linked in the body of the Featured Case.

Cited Cases

  • No Cases Found

Listed below are those cases in which this Featured Case is cited. Click on the case name to see the full text of the citing case.

Citing Cases