Trunkline Gas Co. v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 79-1364

Decision Date17 December 1979
Docket NumberNo. 79-1364,79-1364
Citation608 F.2d 582
PartiesTRUNKLINE GAS COMPANY, Petitioner, v. FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, Respondent.
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — Fifth Circuit

James J. Flood, Jr., Washington, D. C., for petitioner.

Jerome Nelson, Sol., Barbara J. Weller, Atty., F.E.R.C., Washington, D. C., for respondent.

Petition For Review of An Order of The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Before CHARLES CLARK, RONEY and GARZA, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:

This case involves the review of two unreported orders issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and its predecessor, the Federal Power Commission, in Trunkline Gas Company, Docket Nos. RP72-23 Et al. and RP73-35: the June 3, 1977 "Order Reversing Initial Decision" and the December 18, 1978 "Order Denying Rehearing."

By those orders, the Commission excluded from rate base certain advance payments made by Trunkline to a group of natural gas producers headed by Sun Oil Company and to Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America for the commitment of new natural gas reserves, unless specified conditions were met.

On review, the Commission concedes that the legal issue has been resolved in favor of Trunkline's position by United Gas Pipe Line Co. v. FERC, 597 F.2d 581 (5th Cir. 1979). This Court there held, Inter alia, that advance payments such as the ones here under consideration made by a natural gas pipeline under FPC Order 465, 48 FPC 1550 (1972), could not be excluded from the pipeline's rate base. This case presents the same issue concerning Order 465 advances as did the United case.

The Commission requests us to remand the Commission's orders in this case so that its treatment of the Order 465 advance payments at issue can be reconsidered. We deny the request. That precise suggestion was made to this Court in the United case on a petition for rehearing.

In fact, the Commission's position here is argued in its brief by a long quotation from the petition for rehearing filed in the United case. That position was rejected by a denial of the petition for rehearing in United on August 8, 1979. 597 F.2d 581. So must it be here for three reasons. First, a panel of this Court must follow the decisions of prior panels, so the United decision controls this case. Puckett v. Commissioner, 522 F.2d 1385 (5th Cir. 1975). Second, Trunkline Gas Company, being in the same position as United Gas Pipe Line Company would seem to be entitled to the same treatment by this Court. ...

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8 cases
  • Gates v. Collier, 79-1844
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • May 14, 1980
    ...and recognize that a decision by one panel of this Court is binding on other panels. E. g., Trunkline Gas Co. v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 608 F.2d 582, 583 (5th Cir. 1979). But we are convinced that Carpa is not controlling on the question before us and we have not been unfaith......
  • U.S. v. Bowles, 79-5088
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • September 2, 1980
    ...on the issue by this Court. See, e. g., Ford v. United States, 618 F.2d 357, 361 (5th Cir. 1980); Trunkline Gas Co. v. Federal Energy Regulatory Comm'n, 608 F.2d 582, 583 (5th Cir. 1979); Puckett v. Commissioner, 522 F.2d 1385, 1385 (5th Cir. 1975). In United States v. Elmore, supra, this C......
  • Branch v. Phillips Petroleum Co., 80-2015
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • March 5, 1981
    ...disposition by the prior panel is binding upon this panel. United States v. Alfrey, 620 F.2d 551 (5th Cir. 1980); Trunkline Gas Co. v. FERC, 608 F.2d 582 (5th Cir. 1979). Accordingly, Phillips' contention must be Yet, the theory upon which that motion presumably was denied may be unsound in......
  • Ford v. U.S., 78-2251
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • June 5, 1980
    ...to overrule a decision of another panel. That task falls solely to the full Court sitting en banc. Trunkline Gas Co. v. Federal Energy Regulatory Comm'n, 608 F.2d 582, 583 (5th Cir. 1979); Williams v. Blazer Financial Services, Inc., 598 F.2d 1371, 1374 (5th Cir. 1979); United States v. Hou......
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