Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is the public utility commission in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. It is composed of five commissioners, which are appointed by the
governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
with the consent of the
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four-year terms, stagger ...
. 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.
History
20th century
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
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
.
21st century
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
An electrical grid (or electricity network) is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power tran ...
.
PUC oversees ordinances for gas exploration and extraction at
Marcellus Shale
Marcellus may refer to:
People
* Marcellus (name)
* Marcellus of Ancyra, fourth-century Christian bishop and theologian
* Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Roman commander
* Marcellus of Tangier
* Marcellus Empiricus
* Marcellus (nephew of Augustu ...
. The commission is responsible for collecting and distributing the
impact fee
An impact fee is a fee that is imposed by a local government within the United States on a new or proposed development project to pay for all or a portion of the costs of providing public services to the new development.Juergensmeyer, Julian C., ...
in the state.
In November 2014, the commission granted
Uber
Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...
a two year experimental license to operate throughout Pennsylvania.
In 2014, an annual PUC survey found that more than 23,000 Pennsylvania households without heat.
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.
See also
*
List of Pennsylvania state agencies
State related agencies of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Agencies
*Pennsylvania Attorney General
*Pennsylvania Auditor General
*Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole
*Pennsylvania Department of Aging
*Pennsylvan ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Public utilities commissions of the United States
State agencies of Pennsylvania