In Nebraska, the Nebraska Public Service Commission ensures its citizens high quality, safe, and reliable public services at fair and affordable rates. The commission regulates and assists the public with service industries such as telecommunications, taxis and limousines, grain warehouse storage, railroad safety, and private water companies. The commission also regulates the placement of certain electrical transmission lines and gas pipelines, wireless E911 service, and the making and selling of manufactured homes, modular homes, and recreational vehicles.
The commission through its Natural Gas Department regulates the rates and service quality of investor-owned natural gas public utilities in accordance with the State Natural Gas Regulation Act.
Further, the Nebraska Energy Office (NEO) promotes the efficient, economic, and environmentally responsible use of energy. The NEO offers a number of ways to save money on energy bills for the home, farm, business, or vehicle. Some of the ways listed by the NEO are construction waste minimization methods, efficient design and construction, minimizing use of lumber products in residential construction, recycled construction materials, site development for environmental preservation and energy efficiency, and energy efficient rehab advisor. The NEO also advocates to citizens of Nebraska the use of renewable energy at home such as the use of solar-powered outdoor lights, buying renewable energy from utility, and producing solar electricity at home with photovoltaic (PV) cells.
In addition, the Nebraska Power Review Board regulates Nebraska’s publicly owned electrical utility industry. These utilities include public power districts, cooperatives, and municipalities. The functions of the board include:
- to create and certify retail and wholesale service area agreements between electric utilities operating in Nebraska;
- to approve the construction of new electric generation facilities in Nebraska;
- to construct or acquire transmission lines or related facilities carrying more than 700 volts;
- to hold hearings to address disputes between a utility and its customers;
- to approve microwave communication facilities built by public power districts;
- to oversee the preparation and filing of a coordinated long-range power supply plan;
- to approve petitions for the creation of public power districts and amendments to the petitions for creation of public power districts,
- to prepare a biennial report containing information about all power suppliers in Nebraska, the assessment paid by each supplier, electrical supply and demand statistics, and a summary of the board’s activities.
The Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (NOGCC), promotes the development, production, and utilization of the natural resources of oil and gas in Nebraska. The main functions of the commission include preventing waste, protecting correlative rights of all owners, and encouraging and authorizing secondary recovery, pressure maintenance, cycling, or recycling.
Further, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) provides for the protection of Nebraska’s air, land, and water resources by administering the major environmental protection laws.
Nebraska Public Service Commission
