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About PUC’s Electric & Natural Gas Division
The Commission is responsible for ensuring that the utilities we regulate offer safe and reliable energy at reasonable rates and for promoting the development of competitive markets. The Electric & Natural Gas Division helps the Commission accomplish these goals by implementing programs designed to:
- Set the rates charged to homes and businesses.
- Promote price and service competition, where appropriate, so that utilities and their customers can shop for the cheapest supplies and get services tailored to their needs.
- Set and enforce price and service rules that protect consumers.
- Establish regulatory policies that induce utilities to secure the mix of new resources, including energy efficiency and renewable energy sources that will meet customer needs at the lowest cost and risk.
- Ensure that pipelines, power lines, transformer stations and other energy facilities operate safely and reliably, through inspections, emergency preparedness and response, and performance standards.
The Commission sets rates that give utilities an opportunity to cover costs that are prudently incurred plus a reasonable return on their capital investments. The Commission evaluates the myriad components of cost—such as the costs of labor, purchased energy and the cost of capital—to determine how much of these costs should be included in customer rates. The Commission also decides both the share of utilities’ total costs assigned to different groups of customers and the structure of customer rates.
A key Commission objective is to ensure that the energy utilities develop the mix of new resources that meets customer needs at the lowest possible cost and risk.
The Commission requires Oregon's regulated electric and natural gas utilities to develop long-term supply plans that assess all supply options, including energy conservation. The Commission adopts and implements rules and processes to carry out legislative directives such as the Oregon Renewable Energy Act, which established a Renewable Portfolio Standard for Oregon’s electric utilities and alternative suppliers. Beginning in 2011, these providers must meet a certain percentage of their load with new renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal or biomass. The Commission also oversees the Energy Trust of Oregon, which administers the conservation and renewable resource programs for five of the six private energy utilities in the state.
Ed Busch is the Division Administrator.
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