Title 15 — Commerce and TradeRelease 119-73

§717d Fixing rates and charges; determination of cost of production or transportation

Title 15 › Chapter CHAPTER 15B— - NATURAL GAS › § 717d

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Commission must hold a hearing if it starts one or gets a complaint from a State, city, state regulator, or gas company. If the Commission finds a natural-gas company’s rates, charges, rules, or contracts are unfair or unlawful, it must set fair ones and order the company to use them. It cannot force a higher rate that is already on the company’s filed schedule unless the company files a new schedule, but it can require lower rates. The Commission may also check how much it costs to produce or move natural gas, on its own or if a State commission asks, when that won’t interfere with its work, even if it cannot set the rate.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §717d

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whenever the Commission, after a hearing had upon its own motion or upon complaint of any State, municipality, State commission, or gas distributing company, shall find that any rate, charge, or classification demanded, observed, charged, or collected by any natural-gas company in connection with any transportation or sale of natural gas, subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission, or that any rule, regulation, practice, or contract affecting such rate, charge, or classification is unjust, unreasonable, unduly discriminatory, or preferential, the Commission shall determine the just and reasonable rate, charge, classification, rule, regulation, practice, or contract to be thereafter observed and in force, and shall fix the same by order: Provided, however, That the Commission shall have no power to order any increase in any rate contained in the currently effective schedule of such natural gas company on file with the Commission, unless such increase is in accordance with a new schedule filed by such natural gas company; but the Commission may order a decrease where existing rates are unjust, unduly discriminatory, preferential, otherwise unlawful, or are not the lowest reasonable rates.

(b)The Commission upon its own motion, or upon the request of any State commission, whenever it can do so without prejudice to the efficient and proper conduct of its affairs, may investigate and determine the cost of the production or transportation of natural gas by a natural-gas company in cases where the Commission has no authority to establish a rate governing the transportation or sale of such natural gas.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 717d

Title 15 — Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73