No. 05-___ IN THE Supreme Court of the United States U.S. Steel Mining Company, LLC, et al., Petitioners, v. Virgil Helton, West Virginia Tax Commissioner. _____________ On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ____________ PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI ____________ Steven H. Becker Thomas C. Goldstein Paul A. Horowitz (Counsel of Record) Suzanne I. Offerman Amy Howe BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP Kevin K. Russell 1114 Ave. of the Americas GOLDSTEIN & HOWE, P.C. New York, NY 10036 4607 Asbury Pl., NW Washington, DC 20016 Herschel H. Rose III (202) 237-7543 Steven R. Broadwater ROSE LAW OFFICE 500 Virginia St. East Suite 1290 Charleston, WV 25335 March 31, 2006 i QUESTION PRESENTED Whether the Import-Export Clause of the United States Constitution categorically prohibits a State from imposing a tax on goods in export transit, as this Court held in Richfield Oil Corp. v. State Board of Equalization, 329 U.S. 69 (1946), or whether, as the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals held below, Richfield Oil has been superseded by this Court’s decisions in Michelin Tire Corp. v. Wages, Inc., 423 U.S. 276 (1976), and Washington Department of Revenue v. Ass’n of Washington Stevedoring Cos., 435 U.S. 734 (1978). ii PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDINGS BELOW In addition to the parties named in the caption, the following parties appeared below and are petitioners here: Consolidation Coal Company, Laurel Run Mining Company, McElroy Coal Company, Arch Coal, Inc., Mid-Vol Leasing, Inc., Coastal Coal-West Virginia, LLC, Elk Run Coal Company, Inc., Paynter Branch Mining, Inc., Kingston Resources, Inc., Pioneer Fuel Corporation, and Peabody Holding Company, LLC. RULE 29.6 STATEMENT U.S. Steel Mining Company, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation. No publicly held corporation owns more than 10% of the stock of United States Steel Corporation. Consolidation Coal Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of CONSOL Energy Inc., which is a publicly traded company of which no individual or entity owns 10% or more of its stock. Laurel Run Mining Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Island Creek Coal Company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidation Coal Company. McElroy Coal Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidation Coal Company. Neuberger Berman, LLC and FMR Corp. (a Fidelity Investment Company) are publicly traded companies that own 10% or more of the stock of Arch Coal, Inc. Mid-Vol Leasing, Inc. was purchased by Lexington Coal Company, LLC during the pendency of this litigation. Lexington Coal Company, LLC has no parent company and is not publicly traded. Coastal Coal-West Virginia, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alpha Natural Resources, which is a publicly traded company. Pursuant to a sales agreement between El Paso Corporation and Amfire, LLC (an affiliate of Alpha iii Natural Resources), any refunds related to tax periods on or before January 31, 2003 will be paid by Alpha Natural Resources to El Paso Corporation. Elk Run Coal Company, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Massey Energy Company, which is a publicly traded company. No publicly held company owns more than 10% of Massey Energy Company. Paynter Branch Mining, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Riverton Coal Production, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foundation American Coal Holding, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foundation Coal Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of FC 2 Corp., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foundation Coal Holdings, Inc. Foundation Coal Holdings, Inc. is a publicly traded company. Kingston Resources, Inc. is owned by the same companies that own Paynter Branch Mining, Inc. Pioneer Fuel Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pioneer Mining, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Riverton Coal Production, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foundation American Coal Holding, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foundation Coal Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of FC 2 Corp., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Foundation Coal Holdings, Inc. Foundation Coal Holdings, Inc. is a publicly traded company. Peabody Holding Company, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Peabody Energy Corporation, a publicly traded company. FMR Corp. (a Fidelity Investment Company) owns more than 10% of Peabody Energy Corporation’s stock. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS QUESTION PRESENTED...................................................... i PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDINGS BELOW .....................ii RULE 29.6 STATEMENT .....................................................ii TABLE OF CONTENTS....................................................... iv TABLE OF AUTHORITIES.................................................. v PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI ....................... 1 OPINIONS BELOW............................................................... 1 JURISDICTION ..................................................................... 1 RELEVANT CONSTITUTIONAL, STATUTORY, AND REGULATORY PROVISIONS............................................. 1 STATEMENT......................................................................... 1 REASONS FOR GRANTING THE WRIT............................ 9 I. The Ruling Below Conflicts With This Court’s Decision In Richfield Oil. ................................................ 9 II. The Lower Courts Are In Irreconcilable Conflict Over The Continuing Vitality Of Richfield Oil............. 17 A. The Lower Courts Are Divided And Confused. ....................................................... 17 B. Only This Court Can Resolve The Recurring Division......................................... 22 III. The Decision Below Is Wrong Because Richfield Oil Remains Good Law. ...................................................... 24 CONCLUSION..................................................................... 30 v TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases Agostini v. Felton, 521 U.S. 203 (1997)............................... 22 Ammex, Inc. v. Dep’t of Treas., 603 N.W.2d 308 (Mich. App. 1999) ........................................................................ 21 Arizona Dep’t of Rev. v. Robinson’s Hardware, 721 P.2d 137 (Ariz. 1986) ....................................................... 21 Auto Cargo, Inc. v. Miami Dade County, 237 F.3d 1289 (CA11 2001) ..................................................................... 20 Bradford Exchange v. Dep’t of Rev., 115 Ill. App. 3d 674 (1987)......................................................................... 20 Brown v. Houston, 114 U.S. 622 (1885) .............................. 16 Canton Railroad Co. v. Rogan, 340 U.S. 511 (1951)........... 25 Coast Pacific Trading, Inc. v. State of Washington, 719 P.2d 541 (Wash. 1986) .................................................... 21 Coe v. Errol, 116 U.S. 517 (1886)........................................ 11 Commonwealth Edison Co. v. Montana, 453 U.S. 609 (1981)...................................................................... 7, 16, 21 Diamond Shamrock Refining and Marketing Company v. Nueces County Appraisal District, 876 S.W.2d 298 (Tex. 1994) ....................................................................... 19 IBM Corp. v. United States, 59 F.3d 1234 (CAFC 1995) .... 23 Ill. Tool Works, Inc. v. Indep. Ink, Inc., 74 U.S.L.W. 4154 (Mar. 1, 2006).......................................................... 22 Kansas City, Ft. S. & M.R. R. Co. v. Kansas, 240 U.S. 227 (1916)......................................................................... 11 Kosydar v. National Cash Register, 417 U.S. 62 (1974)...... 29 Los Angeles Tile Co. v. Chatham Co. Bd. of Tax Assessors, 433 S.E.2d 82 (Ga. App. 1993)....................... 21 Louisiana Land and Exploration Co. v. Pilot Petroleum Corp., 900 F.2d 816 (CA5 1990).................... 17, 19, 20, 28 McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. State Bd. of Equalization, 13 Cal. Rptr. 2d 399 (Ct. App., 2d App. Dist., 1992)....... 21 vi Melton v. Peabody Holding Company, Inc., Civil Action No. 04-AA-77 ......................................................... 5 Michelin Tire Corp. v. Wages, Inc., 423 U.S. 276 (1976)......................................................................... passim National Private Truck Council v. Oklahoma Tax Comm’n, 515 U.S. 582 (1995).......................................... 21 Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298 (1992) .............. 29 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Durham County, NC, 479 U.S. 130 (1986)................................................................. 26 Reich v. Collins, 513 U.S. 106 (1994).................................. 21 Richfield Oil Corp. v. State Board of Equalization, 329 U.S. 69 (1946)............................................................ passim Rodriguez de Quijas v. Shearson/American Express, Inc., 490 U.S. 477 (1989) ................................................. 22 St. Louis Southwestern Ry. Co. v. Arkansas, 235 U.S. 350 (1914)......................................................................... 11 State Oil Co. v. Khan, 522 U.S. 3 (1997) ............................. 22 Sturges v. Crowninshield, 17 U.S. (4 Wheat.) 122 (1819)................................................................................ 28 Tenet v. Doe, 125 S. Ct. 1230 (2005) ................................... 22 Thames & Mersey Marine Ins. Co. v. United States, 237 U.S. 19 (1915)................................................................... 23 United States v. Hatter, 532 U.S. 557 (2001)....................... 22 United States v. Hvoslef,