# Amicus Curiae Brief — Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. United States (Nos. 89-1453, 89-1452) > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/brief%3Amicro_IA40385012_0734%3A14 ## Record - **Collection:** Supreme Court brief - **Document type:** Amicus Curiae Brief - **Published:** January 1, 1990 ## Text Supreme Court, U.S. FILED ‘ais cs AUG 9 lov Nos. 89-1452, 89-1453 F. SPANIOL, JR. — CLERK IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES Ocroser Term, 1990 MOBIL OIL EXPLORATION & PRODUCING SOUTHEAST, INC., et al., Petitioners, Vv. UNITED DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES, et ai., Respondents. FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, Petitioner, Vv. UNITED DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES, et ai., Respondents. On a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals For the Fifth Circuit BRIEF OF THE WASHINGTON LEGAL FOUNDATION AS AMICUS CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS R. Charles Gentry Daniel J. Popeo John R. Hays, Jr. Richard A. Samp HAYS & ANSON (Counsel of Record) Suite 2700 WASHINGTON LEGAL 600 Congress Ave. FOUNDATION Austin, TX 78701 1705 N Street, N.W. (512) 478-4040 Was! :ngton, DC 20036 (202) 857-0240 August 9, 1990 575 ii QUESTION PRESENTED Amicus will address the following issue: Whether the court of appeals improperly relied upon portions of the legislative history of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 to override the plain meaning of the statute and set aside action by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission consolidating all vintages of old gas and establishing a higher ceiling I. TABLE OF CONTENTS THE COURT OF APPEALS’ USE OF ISOLATED FRAGMENTS OF LEGISLATIVE HISTORY TO DEFEAT THE PLAIN MEANING OF SECTIONS 104(bX2) AND 106(c) AS A MEANS OF DETERMINING LEGISLATIVE INTENT VIOLATES CONTROLLING PRINCIPLES OF LAW ESTABLISHED BY THIS COURT ........ THE COURT OF APPEALS’ IMPROPER RELIANCE UPON PORTIONS OF THE NGPA’S LEGISLATIVE HISTORY TO VACATE ORDER 451 IMPOSES UNREASONABLE BURDENS AND UNREASONABLE UNCERTAINTY ON THE NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY AND COULD LEAD TO UNFAIR CONSEQUENCES NOT REASONABLY FORESEEABLE FROM A THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF THE DEED ceca ctw eeSSEVS Serb b bode iv Il. THE COURT OF APPEALS IGNORED BINDING PRECEDENT OF THIS COURT BY REFUSING TO GIVE DEFERENCE TO COMMISSION ACTION WHEN THE LEGISLATIVE INTENT OF THE NGPA WAS PUT IN ISSUE BY THE CONFLICT BETWEEN STATUTORY LANGUAGE AND LEGISLATIVE HISTORY ............. 19 ee eer Bee a 21 v TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Page Cases: American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson, 456 U.S. 63 CR AA Ww el ¥RUTWIATS /GL% © 11, 13 Anderson v. Wilson, 289 U.S. 20 (1933) ....... ll Caminetti v. United States, 242 U.S. 470 (1917) .. 15 Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984) ... 18, 19, 20 Consumer Product Safety Comm'n v. GTE Sylvania, Inc., 447 U.S. 102 (1980) ............ 11, 13 Edwards v. Aguillard, 482 U.S. 578 (1987) ...... 16 FPC v. Hope Natural Gas Co., 320 U.S. 591 OE Seb he. a | ere 15 FPC v. Natural Gas Pipeline Co., 315 U.S. 575 CED Ads Aci dh GWE CR DIET RRN INI 2 oo 15 Griffin v. Oceanic Contractors, Inc., 458 U.S. RS ele ee ee oe 8 Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Cardoza- Fonseca, 480 U.S. 421 (1987) ......... 16, 17 K Mart Corp. v. Cartier, Inc., 486 U.S. 281 SES 's BWSR Mabe Kale Wb eo 5, 18, 20 Mobil Oil Co. v. FPC, 417 U.S. 283 (1974) ..... 15 Mobil Oil v. F.E.R.C., 885 F.2d 209 (Sth GE nd 63 © oR Gla aiehee oid 0 0 oo 4,7,8 Permian Basin Area Rate Cases, 390 U.S. 747 0 SE Oe ey he ee 15 Rubin v. United States, 449 U.S. 424 (1981) ..... 13 Schwegmann Brothers v. Calvert Distillers Corp., Ee a Ok ee 17 Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill, 437 U.S. 153 RS Oy eae 16 United States v. Boyle, 469 U.S. 241 (1985) ..... 20 United States v. James, 478 U.S. 597 EN, acta did Uva se OC ae aee ore 6.4 « 11, 12, 13 vi United States v. Locke, 471 U.S. 84 sie h.¢ SARE OOta oo ee 5 0 o 12, 15, 16 Statutes: Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978, CS EE ee passim § 104(b)(2), 15 U.S.C. § 3314(b)(2) .. . 3, 4, 6, 7, 13, 15, 19, 21 § 106(c), 15 U.S.C. § 3316(c) ....... 3, 4, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 19, 21 Miscellaneous: 117 Cong. Rec. 36,509 (1971) (Statement of EEE 10 Brief of Respondents, United Distribution Companies, et al., for Certiorari .......... 17 Note, Legislative History of the Natural Gas Policy Act, 59 Tex. L. Rev. 101 (1980) ...... 7 Frankfurter, Some Reflections on the Reading of Statutes, 47 Colum. L. Rev. 527 (1947) . 8, 11, 12 Holmes, The Theory of Legal Interpretation, 12 Harv. L. Rev. 417 (1899) ......... 8, 9, 17 Starr, Observations About the Use of Legislative History, 1987 Duke LJ. 371 (1987) ....... 10 Sunstein, /nterpreting Statutes in the Regulatory State, 103 Harv. L. Rev. 405 (1989) ...... 8,9 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES Ocroser Term, 1990 Nos. 89-1452, 89-1453 MOBIL OIL EXPLORATION & PRODUCING SOUTHEAST, INC., et ai., Petitioners, Vv. UNITED DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES, et ai., Respondents. FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, Petitioner, v. UNITED DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES, et ai., Respondents. On a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals For the Fifth Circuit BRIEF OF THE WASHINGTON LEGAL FOUNDATION AS AMICUS CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS INTEREST OF THE AMICUS CURIAE The Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) is a national nonprofit public interest law and policy center 58 U.S.L.W. 3614 (March 26, 1990); Ingersoll-Rand Co. v. McClendon, cert. granted, 58 J.S.L.W. 3657 (April 16, 1990); Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company v. Haslip, cert. granted, 58 US.L.W. 3628 (April 2, 1990); Kansas and Missouri v. Utilicorp United Inc., 58 U.S.L.W. 4898 (June 21, 1990); HJ., Inc. v. North- western Bell Telephone Co., 109 3.Ct. 2893 (1989); Tull v. United States, 481 U.S. 412 (1987); and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Commissior of California, 475 U.S. 1 (1986). WLF believes that individuals and businesses are entitled to rely on the plain language o* a statute. consents ase on file with the Clesk of the Court. STATEMENT OF THE CASE Amicus is, in the interest of brevity, providing only a condensed statement of the facts of this case. Amicus adopts by reference the statements of facts contained in Petitioners’ briefs. vintages of pre-1977 gas into a single vintage with i to save 11 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that would reduce overall prices to consumers. 51 Fed. Reg. at ride De . i di HE buck aH ve gtase rely. tte Hy Uke To mined g2522 JST q Ce g ii SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT mnt and certainty become impossible. below une e ve majority US. tu followed had made intent, have Finally, amicus submits that the failed to utilize the appropriate standard of review of nounced in Chevron US.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984 agency action by disregarding the two-prong test an- noua ib che Guides of Ot THT ia In 2553 with the )." c as it and 106( (2) l None of the cited floor statements directly addressed the question of whether the NGPA prohibited or intended to hibit the C ission from raising the ceili for old gas as of Sections USE OF ISO- 6 ARGUMENT HISTORY TO DEFEAT THE PLAIN MEAN- response to a statute the majority would necessarily LATED FRAGMENTS OF LEGISLATIVE have had to find ambiguous. IL THE COURT OF APPEALS’ ING OF SECTIONS 104(b)(2) AND 106(c) AS A MEANS OF DETERMINING LEGISLATIVE Section 104(b)(2) of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978, which in all relevant respects is identical to INTENT VIOLATES CONTROLLING PRIN- Section 106(c) of the same Act, provides: “ CIPLES OF LAW ESTABLISHED BY THIS COURT Commission) otherwise subject to the preceding provisions of this section, if such price is-- ei abBadr is ii pin apts R zt EY aT eH 3 : e2 i | > 3} ‘ae if is Fg a6 it ia iS ii] a i Hi wt, < ) 3 . Hi SHIRE AL ta iil gauadiiyliae! tp yt, apepils H rt flag sll ite Hf ui] Hil : dit r i rH | + ite ath Hilt STH a lee HST ji : it Hal ad ln ! tt lhl | HLF iH iE a Hi Bi ar TE i Aer uy BU rf rT saa | Hel ile, Hager Ta iat HEHE | Mi 11 int in the search for legislative intent the statute. As Justice Cardozo put 10 HdSe Phe oid ti mej iibee| pale aye. 2 L seg attr i Ay HDR rts i [pete ite t il 7H ALE ig. ee TH > Hite blind Hie apeatel Hapa) *f if * Anderson v. Wilson, 289 U.S. 20, 27 (1933). i a He seeegel | Uepalh oo etibys intl ai inte iranian (aM: iy up [SHH dentate TH Ae be HF ATT s undid |e Wehinil 12 legislative intent, based on whether the source is in- cluded in the formal language of a statute. At bottom, In the instant case, the majority below usurped the legislature’s assigned role by concluding, in contradic- tion to Congress’ own enacted words, that four senators 0 ee ese oetnet Ps States v. James, 478 U.S. 597 (1986); American Tobacco Co. v. Patterson, 456 U.S. 63 (1982); Rubin vy. United States, 449 U.S. 424 (1981); Consumer Product Safety Comm'n v. GTE Sylvania, Inc., 447 US. 102 Il. THE COURT OF APPEALS’ IMPROPER RELIANCE UPON PORTIONS OF THE NGPA’S LEGISLATIVE HISTORY TO VACATE ORDER 451 IMPOSES UNREASON- ABLE BURDENS AND UNREASONABLE UNCERTAINTY ON THE NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY AND COULD LEAD TO UNFAIR CONSEQUENCES NOT REASONABLY FORE- SEEABLE FROM A THOROUGH EXAMINA- TION OF THE STATUTE Members of a free society are entitled to clarity certainty to the maximum possible extent in matters a i is if FR 14 te : pasta He quik i ty it atl |tale Hh : 43 eels: . u vaecesicegegda fcdetl 2 + > : f ; se ae 1 Bess bi ie! bee iat ult : Hig a iy iF nik i read pe ia E g eae tual acti ith ; Hl RETR Hyp ayy 3 Ly att HF vi i aT ree fe + Pil By E i: 5 + ile HE He mH vl Te meres co ee eee Pa lint tli yt Be aM it u te H pat soek sk. Bs os ade: £83. 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