Westvaco Corp. v. Columbia Gas of Virginia, Inc.

This appeal from an order of the State Corporation Commission presents a narrow procedural question: whether the Commission, in an expedited rate case, may properly exclude evidence concerning rate design.

Columbia Gas of Virginia, Inc., sells natural gas at retail and also transmits gas by pipeline in Virginia as a common carrier for others. Westvaco Corporation was originally a large retail customer for Columbia, but in 1983 began to purchase gas from other sources and arranged for the product to be transmitted through Columbia’s pipeline system. This appeal arises from a series of disputes…