Electric

Commission's Responsibilities

• Approval of rates for wholesale sales of electricity and transmission in interstate commerce for jurisdictional utilities, power marketers, power pools, power exchanges, and independent system operators.
• Oversight of the issuance of certain stock and debt securities, assumption of obligations and liabilities, and mergers.
• Review of officer and director positions held between top officials at utility companies and certain firms with which they do business.
• Review of rates set by the federal power marketing administrations.
• Review of exempt wholesale generator status.
• Certification of qualifying small power production and cogeneration facilities.

Safety & Inspections

Once Electricity projects become operational, safety is regulated, monitored and enforced by the state in which the project resides, with the exception of hydropower projects, for which FERC retains jurisdiction when they are operational.

Environment

While FERC has jurisdiction over hydropower projects, FERC has no authority over the construction or maintenance of power generating plants and has significant limited jurisdiction over transmission line siting.

The responsibility for the construction and maintenance of power generating plants and transmission lines primarily resides with the state Public Utility Commissions. The NARUC website provides information about each Public Utility Commission on the National Associations of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) website.

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

The Commission has taken various actions as to the effect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 on Commission-jurisdictional rates of electric public utilities, natural gas pipelines, and oil pipelines.

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