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.
Snowmass (sometimes known locally as Old Snowmass) is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. It is situated in the valley of the Roaring Fork River, near the mouth of Snowmass Creek along State Highway 82 between Aspen and Basalt. It consists largely of a post office, several commercial businesses, and surrounding houses and ranches. The Snowmass Post Office has the ZIP Code 81654. Snowmass should not be confused with the Snowmass Ski Area or with the Town of Snowmass Village, the location of the ski area. Serial killer Ted Bundy abducted murder victim Caryn Campbell from the Wildwood Inn in Snowmass Village on January 12, 1975. Ken Lay, the former CEO of Enron, died near Snowmass on July 5, 2006. Rocky Mountain Institute has its headquarters in Snowmass.