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.
Van Meter is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, along the Raccoon River. The population was 866 at the 2000 census. Major league baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller is a native of Van Meter and has a museum honoring him in the town. On November 11, 2006, Veterans Day, ground was broken for an Iowa Veterans Cemetery at a site located near Van Meter. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack was among those who helped dedicate the cemetery. Van Meter is situated west of Des Moines, just south of Interstate 80. and is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.