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Public-Utility Commissions

Learn about state public-utility commissions (PUCs) and the role PUCs play in regulating private electricity-distribution companies and consumer electric rates.

Transcript

A Public Utility Commission, or PUC, is a group of appointed or elected state commissioners who serve as the state’s utility regulator. In addition to regulating electric utilities, PUCs regulate other public utilities such as gas, water, and wastewater.

I. Investor-Owned Utilities

Investor-owned utilities, or IOUs, are private electricity-distribution companies that have an exclusive charter from a state that allows the IOU to provide electricity services to specific regions within a state....

Lessons

1. Welcome to Energy Law
  • Welcome to Energy Law
2. The Energy Industry and Electric Utilities
  • The Electric System
  • Renewable Energy and Climate Change
  • Utility Regulatory Compact
  • Public-Utility Commissions
  • Wholesale Electricity Markets
  • Federal Electricity Regulation
3. Coal-Fired Electricity
  • Property Rights in Coal
  • Coal Mining Regulations
  • Coal-Fired Power Plant Emissions
  • Coal’s Decline in Popularity
4. Oil and Natural Gas
  • Property Rights in Oil and Gas
  • Fracking and Offshore Drilling
  • Transporting Oil and Gas
  • Oil and Gas Markets
5. Nuclear Energy
  • History of Nuclear Power
  • Uranium Mining
  • Risks of Nuclear Power
  • Nuclear Waste
  • Federal Support for Nuclear Energy
6. Wind Energy
  • Benefits of Wind Energy
  • Intermittent Nature of Wind
  • Impacts on Wildlife and the Environment
  • Rights to Wind
  • Government Support for Wind Energy
7. Hydropower and Solar Energy
  • Hydropower Facilities and Regulation
  • Environmental Impacts of Hydropower
  • Solar Energy
  • Solar Access and Grid Issues
8. Other Energy Resources and Energy Issues
  • Waste-to-Energy Facilities and Biomass
  • Geothermal and Ocean Energy
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Transportation Energy Policies
  • Energy Storage and Electric Vehicles