Mapco Inc. v. Pioneer Corporation and Amarillo Oil Company

TUTTLE, Circuit Judge:

This appeal challenges the correctness of the trial court’s interpretation of a contract between Mapco’s predecessor, Canadian, and the appellee, Amarillo (AOC) which allows Amarillo to continue requiring Mapco to deliver at cost raw natural gas to it in an amount necessary to supply named customers, in the City of Amarillo and its environs, from which stream of gas Amarillo first extracts and markets certain liquid hydrocarbons which it then sells to others than its named customers.

The trial court reached its conclusion by construing the contract between the parties as…