What The Commission Regulates

Electric and Natural Gas Energy Regulation:

• Rate changes
• Energy resource planning and certification
• Service area 
• Utility company mergers and acquisitions
• Formal complaints
• Reasonableness of utility fuel costs, including natural gas purchasing practices and purchased power agreements

Energy Facilities Planning

Facility Planning includes both the need for a project and/or a permit for a proposed site or route. Facilities cases are usually:

• Large electric power plants 
• Electric transmission lines 
• Oil and natural gas pipelines 
• Storage facilities 
• Solar energy generating systems 
• Wind energy conversion systems 

Telecommunications 

Telecom cases are wireline (landline) and usually relate to: 

• Carrier Interconnection agreement approval and arbitration 
• Local and long distance carrier certification and service quality standards 
• Local exchange competition rulemaking 
• Mergers and acquisitions 
• Telephone Assistance Program and Lifeline 
• Universal service programs 

How the Commission Works

The Commission is Minnesota’s utility regulator: 

• Carries out the duties and responsibilities assigned by laws 
• Is both quasi-judicial, similar to a court and quasi-legislative, similar to the legislature 
• Creates rules relating to utility’s conduct and procedures, monitors utility operations and initiates investigations 
• Provides a forum for resolving disputes between the public and utilities 
• Considers the viewpoints of interested parties or stakeholders and the public 
• Recognizes changes in society and technology so that competition is encouraged 
• Seeks to balance and protect the interests of the public and the utility 
• Develops and retains competent and dedicated commissioners and staff 

To ensure safe, reliable and efficient utility services, the Commission: 

• Works to emphasize the production and use of energy resources that are friendly to the environment 
• Encourages conservation 
• Provides the means to put the state energy policies into effect 
• Establishes rules related to safety and quality of service 
• Encourages development and application of new technologies and services for the public 

Commission outcomes that impact the public and utilities: 

• Approves rates and service quality standards for large electric and natural gas companies 
• Approves resource plans for large electric utilities, including consideration of environmental effect of energy use 
• Grants Certificates of Need for large energy facilities, including power plants and transmission lines 
• Sets up accounting and depreciation procedures for electric and natural gas utilities 
• Approves financial incentives for energy conservation 
• Serves as board of appeals for the Conservation Improvement Program 
• Sets incentives for gas purchasing programs 
• Encourages and approves co-generation and small power generation resources

How It Happens

In creating and maintaining the proper regulatory environment, the Commission

• carries out the duties and responsibilities assigned to it by law 
• operates in both a quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative capacity 
• creates rules relating to the conduct of utilities and the  procedures under which the Commission operates
• makes decisions to support the public interest, considering a wide variety of factors
• provides a forum for resolving disputes between the public and utilities 
• considers the various viewpoints of interested parties
• monitors utility operations
• initiates investigations and deliberates in the public interest
• retains competent and dedicated commissioners and staff.

In ensuring the delivery of safe, reliable and efficient utility services, the Commission:

• emphasizes the production and consumption of energy resources that will minimize damage to the environment;
• encourages conservation;
• implements the state's energy policies;
• establishes rules related to safety and quality of service;
• encourages the development and appropriate implementation of new technologies and services for the public.
  
  

In making this all happen, the Commission:

• Approves rates and service quality standards for large electric and natural gas companies
• Approves resource plans for large electric utilities, including consideration of environmental effect of energy use
• Grants Certificates of Need for large energy facilities, including power plants and transmission lines
• Establishes depreciation and accounting procedures for electric and natural gas utilities
• Approves appropriate financial incentives for energy conservation
• Serves as board of appeals for the Conservation Improvement Program
• Sets appropriate incentives for gas purchasing programs
• Encourages and approves co-generation and small power generation resources