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.
Mineral is a small town in Lewis County, Washington just off State Route 7 near the Pierce/Lewis county line. Mineral originally began as a logging camp, then became a full-fledged town. Mineral has an event center, a post office, two churches, one general store, one tavern, a cafe, a log lodge a resort with fishing docks and boat/pontoon rentals and two bed and breakfast facilities. Mineral is the location from which the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad now operates.