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.
Galena is the largest city in, and county seat of, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States with an estimated population of 3,333 in 2008. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, as well as its ski and golf resorts. Galena was the home to Ulysses S. Grant, several other war generals, entertainers, and politicians.