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.
Clayton is a town in northern Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 858 at the 2000 census. Cotton is a principal commodity in the area. Clayton is located on the Tensas River, important for fishing and boating, promoted through a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-maintained boat launch. The Tensas River merges with the Black River in Jonesville in Catahoula Parish. Louisiana State Representative John A. "Andy" Anders is from Clayton and Ferriday. Among the businesses in the community are Cross Keys Bank and David's Grocery.