State Ex Rel. Utilities Commission v. Piedmont Natural Gas Co.

WHICHARD, Justice.

This appeal involves competing applications filed by Frontier Utilities of North Carolina, Inc. (Frontier) and Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. (Piedmont) to provide natural gas service to Surry, Wilkes, Watauga, and Yadkin Counties (Four-County area).

On 23 September 1994 Frontier, a newly formed local distribution company (LDC), filed an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct, own, and operate an intrastate pipeline facility and local distribution system and for establishment of rates for that system. Frontier requested authority to…