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.
Riggins is a city in Idaho County, Idaho, United States. It is nestled deep in a canyon at the confluence of the Salmon River and the Little Salmon River in west central Idaho, approximately 150 highway miles (241 km) north of Boise, and 120 highway miles (193 km) south-southeast of Lewiston. The elevation of Riggins is 1,821 feet (555 m) above sea level, and the population was 410 at the 2000 census. US-95, the only highway for the state connecting the Panhandle to the south, runs through Riggins as Main Street. Along this route, Riggins is the northwesternmost town in the Mountain time zone. The Pacific time zone begins just north of Riggins, upon crossing the Salmon River. Riggins is midway in the 300 mile (483 km) drive from Boise to Moscow, home of the University of Idaho, making it a popular refueling stop for students from the Treasure Valley.