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.
Kelso is a city in southwest Washington State, United States, and is the county seat of Cowlitz County. At the 2000 census, the population was 11,895. Kelso is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 101,254.. Kelso shares its long western border with Longview, Washington. It is located near Mount St. Helens.