Opinion ID: 530275
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: FERC's Decision to Grant an Unlimited Term Certificate

Text: 17 Midwestern applied for authorization to provide firm transportation service to Minnegasco for a ten year period. FERC ordered that the service be authorized for an unlimited term. 43 F.E.R.C. p 61,065, at 61,180. Although Tarpon argued on brief that FERC erred in its decision to veer from its policy of limiting individual certificates to one year, it failed to raise this issue in its application for rehearing before the Commission, and there appears to be no reasonable grounds for its failure to do so. The only party to challenge the firm certificate term on rehearing was Independent Producers' Association of America (IPAA), Petitioner in the consolidated case, No. 88-1601. IPAA, incorrectly, challenged the granting of a 10-year term, when FERC had, in fact, granted an unlimited term. In any event, IPAA was not a party in this proceeding, as it failed to file its brief in a timely fashion. Tarpon Gas Marketing Ltd. v. FERC, No. 88-1586 and 88-1601 (D.C.Cir.1989) (per curiam order denying motion of IPAA to intervene, or in the alternative, for leave to accept brief out of time). Under Section 19 of the Natural Gas Act, the court is without jurisdiction to review any aspect of the Commission's order that is not urged before the Commission in the application for rehearing. 15 U.S.C. Sec. 717r(b). The party raising the issue on appeal must be the party who urged its reconsideration on rehearing. Asarco, Inc. v. FERC, 777 F.2d 764, 773 (D.C.Cir.1985). The provisions of Sec. 19 cannot be rationalized on a theory that all is well so long as the agency has had an opportunity to address the point. Id. at 773-74; see also New Jersey Zinc Co. v. FERC, 843 F.2d 1497, 1503 (D.C.Cir.1988). 18