In the case of Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas et al., 1988, the U.S Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a state could regulate natural gas prices for intrastate sales when those prices had already been federally regulated for interstate commerce. The court ruled in favor of the State Corporation Commission of Kansas, stating that states have jurisdiction over their own natural gas pricing as long as it does not interfere with federal regulation and control over interstate commerce. This decision upheld dual regulatory authority between state and federal governments regarding energy resources within their respective jurisdictions.

In the dissenting opinion for Northwest Central Pipeline Corp. v. State Corporation Commission of Kansas, Justice Blackmun argued that the majority's decision was a departure from established precedent regarding state regulation of natural gas production. He contended that Congress intended to leave some regulatory power with states when it passed the Natural Gas Act (NGA). The NGA did not explicitly remove all state authority over natural gas rates and facilities; instead, it left room for concurrent jurisdiction between federal and state authorities in certain areas. In this case, he believed Kansas' regulations were within its rights as they related to conservation efforts rather than interstate commerce or pricing issues which would fall under federal purview according to NGA. Therefore, he disagreed with the majority's view that these regulations interfered with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s exclusive jurisdiction over wholesale sales prices.