Agency overview | |
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Preceding agency |
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Jurisdiction | State government of Pennsylvania |
Headquarters | 400 North Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120 |
Agency executives |
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Website | www |
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is the public utility commission in Pennsylvania. It is composed of five commissioners, which are appointed by the governor with the consent of the Pennsylvania State Senate. [1] The PUC oversees public utility and services operations in the commonwealth, in sectors including water, energy, telecommunications, and transportation.
State code requires separation of the five commissioners and an investigatory division.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has roots in the founding of the Pennsylvania State Railroad Commission, which was founded in 1907. In 1913, the railroad commission was replaced with the Pennsylvania Public Service Commission (PSC). In 1937, the passage of Act 43 mandated the replacement of the Public Service Commission with the Public Utility Commission, which was chartered to oversee and regulate all public utilities operating in Pennsylvania. [2]
In June 2006, PUC provided standards for metering of small alternative energy suppliers, including solar and biodigesters. The standards specify how electric distribution companies reimburse small suppliers to the electrical grid. [3]
PUC oversees ordinances for gas exploration and extraction at Marcellus Shale. [4] The commission is responsible for collecting and distributing the impact fee in the state. [5]
In November 2014, the commission granted Uber a two year experimental license to operate throughout Pennsylvania. [6]
In 2014, an annual PUC survey found that more than 23,000 Pennsylvania households without heat. [7]
In November 2018, the commission approved a new policy that clarified rules about how electric power is resold. The policy is part of an effort by the commission to promote investment in electric vehicle charging stations. Existing rules unintentionally limited public charging stations in the way that the electricity was priced and regulated. [8]
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.
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.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT supports nearly 40,000 miles (64,000 km) of state roads and highways, about 25,000 bridges, and new roadway construction with the exception of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.
Exelon Corporation is a public utility headquartered in Chicago, and incorporated in Pennsylvania. Exelon is the largest electric parent company in the United States by revenue and is the largest regulated electric utility in the United States with approximately 10 million customers. The company is ranked 99th on the Fortune 500.
FirstEnergy Corp. is a privately owned electric utility headquartered in Akron, Ohio. It was established when Ohio Edison merged with Centerior Energy in 1997. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in distributing, transmitting, and generating electricity, energy management, and other energy-related services. Its ten electric utility operating companies comprise one of the United States' largest investor-owned utilities, based on serving 6 million customers within a 65,000-square-mile (170,000 km2) area of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. Its generation subsidiaries control more than 16,000 megawatts of capacity. Its distribution lines span over 194,000 miles. In 2018, FirstEnergy ranked 219 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest public corporations in the United States by revenue.
A public utilities commission is a quasi-governmental body that provides oversight and/or regulation of public utilities in a particular area, especially in the United States and Canada.
The California Public Utilities Commission is a regulatory agency that regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies. In addition, the CPUC regulates common carriers, including household goods movers, limousines, rideshare services, self-driving cars, and rail crossing safety. The CPUC has headquarters in the Civic Center district of San Francisco, and field offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is the public utilities commission of the U.S. state of Ohio, charged with the regulation of utility service providers such as those of electricity, natural gas, and telecommunications as well as railroad safety and intrastate hazardous materials transport.
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 500 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.
The Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado (PUC) provides regulatory oversight of public utilities in the State of Colorado of the United States.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas is a state agency that regulates the state’s electric, water and telecommunication utilities, implements respective legislation, and offers customer assistance in resolving consumer complaints.
The Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is responsible for the review of regulations from nearly all state agencies, boards and commissions before they go into effect. These regulations span the broadest possible array of topics, such as bank lending practices, food safety, educational standards, dog breeding, nursing facilities, gaming facilities, and more.
John Hanger is the former Pennsylvania Secretary of Planning and Policy, serving on the executive staff of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf.
Kim Pizzingrilli was a member of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and a former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) is the public utilities commission of the state of Indiana, led by five commissioners appointed by the governor.
Jackson v. Metropolitan Edison Co., 419 U.S. 345 (1974), is an administrative law case of the Supreme Court of the United States holding that extensive state regulation of a public utility does not transform its acts into state action that is reviewable by a federal court under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Net metering in New Mexico is a set of state public policies that govern the relationship between solar customers and electric utility companies.
Energy efficiency, or efficient energy use, describes an optimization of the power requirements and environmental impacts of energy systems. This includes actions taken by a governing body to decrease power use over an entire power grid, or actions taken by individuals to make their energy use in their house less wasteful. It is also one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to fight climate change and air pollution.
As of April 2022, there were about 23,000 electric vehicles registered in Pennsylvania.