Iowa Utilities Board

Last updated

The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) is a three-member public utilities commission, with beginnings in 1878. It is a quasi-judicial tribunal, which regulates services and rates of electric, natural gas, water and telecommunication providers, as well as all pipelines and transmission lines in the U.S. state of Iowa and has existed with its present name since 1986.

Contents

History

1878–1986

In 1878 the Iowa Board of Railroad Commissioners was founded, whose three members were publicly elected for a two-year term. In 1911, an Office of Commerce Counsel was established within, which with increasing electrification took on the regulation of transmission lines. In 1937, it was renamed the Iowa State Commerce Commission. [1]

It was only in 1963 that the regulation of rates and services of all public utility companies (electricity, natural gas, water and telecommunications) became Iowa State Commerce Commission tasks. At the same time, the legislature extended commissioner terms to six years and the positions became appointed. In 1986, the state renamed the commission as "Iowa Utilities Board". [1]

21 st century

In August 2023, the IUB held hearings regarding Summit Carbon Solutions proposal to build 700 miles of carbon capture pipeline in Iowa for carbon generated by ethanol plants to underground storage in North Dakota., [2] one of three companies planning such a project. [3] In June 2024, the IUB approved the controversial Summit pipeline including eminent domain to force non cooperative landowners. [4]

Authority

The Iowa Utilities Board regulates rates and services of electric utilities, natural gas utility and water utilities, and a some telecommunication companies per Iowa Code chapters 476 through 479B. [5] It supervises all pipelines and transmission lines, and the sale and distribution of electricity. In addition it has various connected authorities like resolving disputes and dealing with complaints, enforcing safety as far as engineering standards go. [6]

Electric utilities

The IUB regulates service and rates of the 2 Iowa electric companies, MidAmerican Energy and Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Company and also the Rural Electric Cooperatives (RECs). The latter can choose to be regulated for rates and only the Linn County, Iowa REC has chosen to do so. [6]

Waterworks

The IUB regulates rates and service of only the Iowa-American Water Company, which operates in Davenport, Iowa and Clinton, Iowa. It neither regulates small, nor municipally owned water utilities. [6]

Communications utilities

The IUB regulates only the service of landline telephone providers in Iowa, and neither regulates cellphone providers, nor any rates. Since 2007 it issue cable television franchise agreements. [6]

Pipelines

The IUB decides about the building and maintenance of all pipelines, whether they carry gas, oil or carbon (Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Permit).

Members

Members are appointed by the Governor of Iowa for 6-year terms. As of 2016 the IUB consisted of Libby Jacobs, Nick Wagner with Geri Huser as chairwoman. [7] As of 2023 the IUB consisted of Richard W. Lozier, Jr. and Joshua Byrnes with Geri Huser as chairwoman. [8]

As of 2015, Huser has been described as "businessfriendly". [9] In 2017, there was a petition to remove Lozier because of connections to Energy Transfer Partners during the time when the Dakota Access pipeline was being deliberated. [8]

Board members since the board's inception in 1986 are listed in the table per its website. [10]

TermNameFunctionParty
1987–1997Nancy Shimanek Boyd
1988–1994Dennis Nagel
1991–1999Emmit George
1995–2001Allan T. Thoms
1997–1999Paula Dierenfeld
1999–2001Susan Frye
1999–2007Diane Munns
2001–2005Mark O. Lambert
2002–2005Elliott G. Smith
2005–2009John R. Norris
2005–2007Curtis W. Stamp
2007–2011Krista K. Tanner
2007–2013 Darrell Hanson Republican
2009–2011Robert Berntsen
2011–2013 Swati Dandekar Democratic
2013–2015Sheila Tipton
2011–2017 Libby Jacobs interim chair May 1, 2011 - April 30, 2015Republican
2013–2020 Nick Wagner Republican
2015–2023 Geri Huser chairDemocratic
2017-2023 Richard W. Lozier, Jr.
2020-2025 Joshua Byrnes Republican
2023-2029 Erik Helland chairRepublican
2023-2027 Sarah M. Martz

Court cases

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Energy Regulatory Commission</span> Independent agency of the US federal government

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport of petroleum by pipeline. FERC also reviews proposals to build interstate natural gas pipelines, natural gas storage projects, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, in addition to licensing non-federal hydropower projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public utility</span> Entity which operates public service infrastructure

A public utility company is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service. Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to statewide government monopolies.

Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the Southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is the second largest utility company in the U.S. in terms of customer base, as of 2021. Through its subsidiaries it serves 9 million gas and electric utility customers in 6 states. Southern Company's regulated regional electric utilities serve a 120,000-square-mile (310,000 km2) territory with 27,000 miles (43,000 km) of distribution lines.

Eversource Energy is a publicly traded, Fortune 500 energy company headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut, and Boston, Massachusetts, with several regulated subsidiaries offering retail electricity, natural gas service and water service to approximately 4 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

The Ontario Energy Board is the provincial regulator of natural gas and electricity utilities in Ontario, Canada. This includes setting rates, and licensing all participants in the electricity sector including the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), generators, transmitters, distributors, wholesalers and electricity retailers, as well as natural gas marketers who sell to low volume customers.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) is an independent regulatory agency within the U.S. state of Minnesota responsible for the oversight and regulation of public utilities, including electric, natural gas, and telecommunications services. Created by the Minnesota Legislature, the commission's primary mission is to ensure that residents of Minnesota have access to safe, adequate, and efficient utility services at fair, reasonable rates. It plays a significant role in balancing the needs of consumers, the environment, and utility companies.

NiSource Inc. is one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across six states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands. The company, based in Merrillville, Indiana, has more than 8,000 employees. As of 2018, NiSource is the sole Indiana-based utility company.

SCANA Corporation was an American regulated electric and natural gas public utility. The company was based in Cayce, South Carolina, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. Following the Nukegate scandal, the company's stock fell and the company was in disrepair. In January 2019, SCANA was acquired by Dominion Energy. The corporate name SCANA was not an acronym, but was taken from the letters in South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma Corporation Commission</span> Public utilities regulatory body of Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the U.S state of Oklahoma run by three statewide elected commissioners. Authorized to employ more than 400 employees, it regulates oil and gas drilling, utilities and telephone companies.

The Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, and water and wastewater utilities. The FPSC facilitates competitive markets in the telecommunications industry, has authority over intercarrier disputes, and oversees pay telephones, the federal Lifeline Assistance Program and Telecommunications Relay Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geri Huser</span> American politician

Geri D. Huser is an American lawyer and Democratic party politician. She served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1996 to 2011. Since 2015 she has been Chairwoman of the Iowa Utilities Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission</span> Regulation agency in Washington, US

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) is a three-member board appointed by the Governor of Washington and confirmed by the Washington State Senate to six-year terms. The purpose of the UTC is to regulate the rates, services, and practices of privately owned utilities and transportation companies, including electric, telecommunications, natural gas, water, and solid waste collection companies, pipelines, commercial ferries, buses, and motor carriers. The UTC is based in Olympia, Washington and employs approximately 150 staff, including attorneys, economists, accountants, and engineers. The agency is primarily an economic regulator; however, the UTC also houses Washington's pipeline safety program which inspects interstate and intrastate hazardous liquid and natural gas pipeline operators as an agent for the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Through the 1996 Electric Utilities Act the Alberta's deregulated electricity market began.

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) is the national association representing the U.S. state public service commissioners who regulate essential utility services, including energy, telecommunications, and water. Founded in 1889, the Association is a resource for its members and the regulatory community, providing a venue to set and influence public policy, share best practices, and foster solutions to improve regulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Public Service Commission</span> Department of the New York state government

The New York Public Service Commission is the public utilities commission of the New York state government that regulates and oversees the electric, gas, water, and telecommunication industries in New York as part of the Department of Public Service. The department's regulations are compiled in title 16 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. The current chairman of the Commission and chief executive of the Department is Rory M. Christian. His term began on June 10, 2021 and runs through February 1, 2027.

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) is the public utilities commission of the state of Indiana, led by five commissioners appointed by the governor.

The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is the Public Utilities Commission of the State of West Virginia, U.S.A.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Wagner</span> American politician

Nick Wagner is a Republican party politician. He is an electrical engineer who served four years on the Marion, Iowa city council before his election to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2008, where he served two terms. He was a commissioner of the Iowa Utilities Board from 2013 to 2020. Since July 2020, he is Vice President of Colorado Regulatory Affairs & Policy with Black Hills Energy in Denver, Colorado.

The United States state of Arkansas is a significant producer of natural gas and a minor producer of petroleum.

Richard W. Lozier Jr. in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is an American infrastructure and regulation lawyer. He worked for a lobby group representing Energy Transfer Partners interests in the application for the controversial Bakken pipeline. He became a commissioner of the Iowa Utilities Board in 2017 and served until April 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 History of the Iowa Utilities Board Iowa Utilities Board, n.d., retrieved 18 March 2016
  2. ↑ "Opinion: Summit's clout is winning out". The Gazettte. 2023-08-26. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  3. ↑ Eller, Donnelle. "What we know about three carbon capture pipelines proposed in Iowa". desmoinesregister. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  4. ↑ Kauffman, Clark (2024-06-25). "Iowa Utilities Board approves permit for controversial Summit pipeline". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  5. ↑ Iowa Code, Iowa General Assembly, n.d., retrieved 18 March 2016
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jurisdiction and Regulatory Authority of the Iowa Utilities Board Iowa Utilities Board, n.d., retrieved 18 March 2016
  7. ↑ Board members Iowa Utilities Board, n.d., retrieved 18 March 2016
  8. 1 2 "Petition to Remove Richard W. Lozier, Jr., from the Iowa Utilities Board – Bold Iowa" . Retrieved 2023-02-13.
  9. ↑ Ryan J. Foley,Gov. Branstad taps new chair for Iowa Utilities Board. Associated Press, March 11, 2015
  10. ↑ Past Commissioners/Board Members Iowa Utilities Board, n.d., retrieved 18 March 2016
  11. 1 2 3 Court proceedings Iowa Utilities Board, 14 March 2016, retrieved 18 March 2016
  12. ↑ Hawkeye land company v. Iowa Utilities Board
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.