Public utilities provide electric, gas, water or telephone service to customers in a specified area. Utilities have a duty to provide safe and adequate service on reasonable terms to anyone who lives within the service area on without discriminating between customers. Because most utilities operate in near monopolistic conditions, they can be heavily regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. Generally, the local and state agencies are called Public Service Commissions (PSC) or Public Utility Commissions (PUC). Municipal Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives may be unregulated though.
Orick (formerly, Arekw, Orekw, and Oreq) is an unincorporated community situated on the banks of the Redwood Creek in Humboldt County, California. It is located 43 miles (69 km) north of Eureka, at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m). The ZIP Code is 95555. The first post office at Orick opened in 1887. The rare minerals Orickite and Coyoteite were discovered at Coyote Peak near Orick.