Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/20pdf/19-1039_8n5a.pdf
Page Number: 8

Cite as:  594 U. S. ____ (2021) 

3 

Opinion of the Court 

from  FERC  a  certificate  reflecting  that  such  construction
“is or will be required by the present or future public con-
venience  and  necessity.”    15  U. S. C.  §717f(e).    The  NGA 
also provides that, before issuing a certificate of public con-
venience  and  necessity,  FERC  “shall  set  the  matter  for 
hearing and shall give such reasonable notice of the hearing 
thereon to all interested persons.”  §717f(c)(1)(B).

As originally enacted, the NGA did not identify a mecha-
nism for certificate holders to secure property rights neces-
sary  to  build  pipelines.    Natural  gas  companies  were  in-
stead  left  to  rely  on  state  eminent  domain  procedures,
which were frequently made unavailable to them.  In some 
States, the eminent domain power could be exercised only
if the operation of a pipeline would benefit residents.  See 
S. Rep. No. 429, 80th Cong., 1st Sess., 2 (1947) (collecting 
cases).  In  others,  statutory  and  constitutional  provisions 
denied  state  eminent  domain  power  to  corporations  from
other States.  See id., at 2–3.  The result was that certificate 
holders often had only an illusory right to build. 
Congress  acted  to  remedy  this  defect. 

In  1947,  it 
amended the NGA to authorize certificate holders to exer-
cise  the  federal  eminent  domain  power.  See  ch.  333,  61 
Stat. 459.  Under 15 U. S. C. §717f(h): 

“When any holder of a certificate of public convenience 
and necessity cannot acquire by contract, or is unable 
to agree with the owner of property to the compensa-
tion  to  be  paid  for,  the  necessary  right-of-way  to  con-
struct, operate, and maintain a pipe line or pipe lines
for  the  transportation  of  natural  gas  . . .  ,  it  may  ac-
quire the same by the exercise of the right of eminent 
domain in the district court of the United States for the 
district in which such property may be located, or in the 
State courts.” 

By enabling FERC to vest natural gas companies with the