"Calling The Balls And Strikes" -- The Public Utility Commission

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Natural gas prices are down, thanks largely to Marcellus Shale drillingGetty ImagesNatural gas prices are down, thanks largely to Marcellus Shale drilling

If it comes into your house in a wire or a pipe, chances are the Public Utility Commission regulates it.

The five-member panel oversees Pennsylvania’s gas, electric, water and wastewater utilities. It also regulates telephone providers. According to its website, the PUC oversees more than 6,000 different utilities, approving rates, service plans and safety issues.

On the natural gas front, the commission oversees Pennsylvania’s gas pipelines and “regulates natural gas distribution company rates and service, investigates gas cost rates, and encourages the development of competitive supply markets.”

The natural gas impact fee signed into law in February 2012 empowers the PUC to oversee and collect Marcellus Shale fee revenue. The commission will also decide whether or not municipal drilling regulation and zoning is “reasonable,” and within the standards of the statewide standards laid out by the law. Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, who shaped the majority of the impact fee, has said he envisions the commission serving as an umpire, “calling the balls and strikes” of whether local regulations fit within the law’s framework.

The commission’s members are appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate. They serve five-year terms. Current members:

Robert Powelson: appointed by Governor Rendell in 2008; appointed chair by Governor Corbett in 2011
John Coleman: appointed by Rendell in 2010
Wayne Gardner: appointed by Rendell in 2008
James Cawley: served on PUC in 1970s and 80s; reappointed by Rendell in 2005
Pam Witmer: appointed by Corbett in 2011

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May 7, 2013

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Pennsylvania Utility Applies For 23 Percent Rate Hike

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