“ No. 709, 75th Cong., 1st Sess., the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce said of the proposed bill which became the Natural Gas Act: 'It confers jurisdiction upon the Federal Power Commission over the transportation of natural gas in interstate commerce, and the sale in interstate commerce of natural gas for resale for ultimate public consumption for domestic, commercial, industrial, or any other use. The States have, of course, for many years regulated sales of natural gas to consumers in intrastate transactions. ”

“ Yet this, in effect, is what appellant asks us to do. For the essence of its position, apart from standing directly on the commerce clause, is that Congress by enacting the Natural Gas Act has 'occupied the field,' i.e., the entire field open to federal regulation, and thus has relieved its direct industrial sales of any subordination to state control.
The exact opposite is the fact. Congress, it is true, occupied a field. ”

“ The resultant increase in unit cost of gas would lead necessarily to increased rates for the consumers served by the local companies.↑ Over 38 per cent of the gross revenues of the local Indiana utilities from the sale of gas is derived from service to the approximately 250 industrial users were to be taken over by appellant, the local utilities not only would suffer great losses in revenue, but would be unable to dispense with more than a trivial percentage of their plant properties. ”

“ The States have also been able to regulate sales to consumers even though such sales are in interstate commerce, such sales being considered local in character and in the absence of congressional prohibition subject to State regulation. ”

“ Not only would industrial consumers in most instances go without protection as to rates and service other than that supplied by competition from other fuels, [20] but the state's regulatory system would be crippled and the efforts of the Indiana Commission seriously hampered in protecting the interests of other classes of users equally if not more important. ”

“ From one house gas is delivered to Anchor-Hocking at pressures as low as 10 pounds per square inch, while from the other deliveries are made to a local distributing company at pressures ranging from 9 to 25 pounds per square inch.↑ For a summary of the leading decisions concerning the sale and transportation of gas prior to the passage of the Natural Gas Act, see Illinois Natural Gas Co. ”

“ The supplemental order expressly stated that the filing, if any, would be deemed to be for the purpose of and available for use by the Commission in carrying out its further duties under the statute.↑ Several of the local utility companies, which had been intervenors in the proceedings before the Commission, were permitted to intervene in the court test of the orders and are appellees here. The National Association of Railroad and Utilities Commissioners has filed a brief amicus curiae in support of the Commission's position.↑ In Illinois Natural Gas Co. ”