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.
Stevenson is a city in Skamania County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,200 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Skamania County and home to the Skamania County Court House and Sheriff's Office. Stevenson is home to the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, which focuses on several tribes that were once located near the Columbia River.