General Motors Corp. v. Illinois Commerce Commission

In recent years, there have been drastic changes in the distribution and sale of natural gas in this country. Traditionally, most local distribution companies (LDC’s) — the companies which sell natural gas at retail to consumers — purchased their natural gas from pipeline companies, which in turn purchased natural gas from other pipeline companies or from natural gas producers. Thus, the main function of most natural gas pipeline companies was to sell natural gas to LDC’s. During the period subsequent to 1978, however, many purchasers of natural gas, including LDC’s, sought to purchase gas…