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.
Stillwater is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, directly across the St. Croix River from the state of Wisconsin. The population was 15,143 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Stillwater is part of the Twin Cities Metro Area. Stillwater is notable for its antiquarian bookstores, being a book town.