The 5 most important people you’ve probably never heard of
Here’s the thing: just five people in each of our states are making some of the most important energy decisions. These highly technical small teams are directly impacting our electricity prices, the stability of the grid, emissions, and whether clean energy actually gets built. Shouldn’t we get to know these people better? Shouldn’t we make sure they know us better?
If you’re like most people, you’ve never heard of your state’s Public Utility Commission (PUC), the entity responsible for regulating utility companies. Even by climate nerd standards, PUCs are about as wonky as you get, shrouded in jargon and mysterious bureaucracy that can make proceedings feel pretty inaccessible.
Let’s take 5 minutes to unpack the role of PUCs in advancing the energy transition - and how our local advocacy can shift the momentum.
Top Takeaways
Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) are state entities responsible for regulating utility companies on behalf of the public, charged with keeping utility services affordable, reliable, and fair.
PUCs have powerful tools to influence the speed and direction of the energy transition, like implementing clean energy targets and approving (or denying) new power plants.
We don’t need to be experts to get involved - as residents, our voices can influence how the PUC determines priorities, especially because they don’t hear from the public very often.
PUCs exist to protect the public interest.
Public Utility Commissions (sometimes known by a different name, like Public Service Commission or Board of Public Utilities) regulate utility companies on behalf of the public. That includes electric and gas utilities, and in some states, water and/or telecommunications utilities.
Most PUCs have around 5 commissioners, who are either appointed by the governor or state legislators (40 states) or elected directly by the public (10 states). Their job is to ensure that utility companies provide reliable and affordable energy to customers.
When the public shows up, it works.
In 2022, residents from a historically Black community south of Phoenix came together to protest a major gas plant expansion, successfully pressuring Arizona’s PUC to reject the utility’s plan.
In September 2024, unprecedented public participation during consumer input sessions helped convince the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada to reject a utility company’s bid to nearly triple the basic service charge for customers.
And most recently, in February 2025, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved Xcel Energy's 2024 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which includes significant clean energy expansion, including increased renewable energy and reduced reliance on natural gas plants. Advocates spent multiple years organizing, submitting comments, and building coalitions to push for a more ambitious, climate-aligned plan.
Across the country—including in the Climate Changemakers network— people are learning how to engage with their PUCs and shifting the trajectory of utility decisions. In the last few weeks alone, changemakers have not only exchanged emails and spoken on the phone with their commissioners but also gotten on the mic at a town hall and met face-to-face to discuss about climate-aligned solutions! (Psst, all for the first time—most of the Climate Changemakers community is new to civic action!)
The climate power of PUCs
PUCs work a little differently in each state, but their main responsibilities usually include:
Setting customer prices for electricity and gas (in regulated markets)
Approving new utility infrastructure, like power plants, transmission lines, and pipelines
Overseeing a utility’s future infrastructure planning
That means these 5 individuals make a ton of important decisions that directly impact our electricity bills, air quality, and climate goals. Energy regulators don’t get a lot of mainstream buzz or viral views (well, unless you count Hot FERC Summer, RIP). But, they really should! PUCs in particular have many levers to pull that can pressure utility companies to make climate-friendly decisions.
For example, they can:
Implement targets for clean energy
Prevent new gas plants or unnecessary pipelines from being built
Push utility companies to retire polluting coal infrastructure
Requiring utility companies to locate and eliminate methane leaks
…and so much more!
Top tools in the PUC toolbox
(Okay, you know enough to do something, so feel free to jump to the bottom for action resources.)
If you want to dig a little deeper, let’s get real wonky with some of the most common mechanisms that PUCs use to regulate utilities:
🔧 Integrated Resource Planning (IRP)
This is the strategic plan (required by many states) where utility companies outline how they’ll meet future energy demand in a way that’s cost-effective, reliable, and safe. At worst, it becomes a rubber stamp for utility companies to overbuild expensive infrastructure, increase fossil fuel emissions, and maximize profits. At best, it’s a chance for PUCs to scrutinize those plans and steer them toward cleaner, smarter solutions. Example.💸 Rate Cases
When utility companies want to raise our bills, they submit a request to the PUC. Regulators decide if the proposed rates are “just and reasonable” (based on a bunch of factors—what the extra money is going to be used for, how low-income and vulnerable customers will be impacted, and (importantly!) public input. Utility companies often propose rate hikes to pay for big capital projects, including some that aren’t needed or would be a bad investment in outdated energy sources.📜 Rulemakings
These are formal proceedings where the PUC creates or updates rules about how utility companies operate. It’s a flexible, powerful process where advocates can push for rules that prioritize affordability, safety, and climate action, like requiring utilities to repair methane leaks instead of replacing entire pipelines. In 2022, the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) launched a proceeding to require electric utilities to perform climate vulnerability studies to prepare for the expected increase in severe weather due to climate change.
PUCs generally make decisions through regulatory dockets and rule-making processes—think of them like courtroom-meets-bureaucracy, like the lovechild of Law & Order and a particularly intense Excel spreadsheet. Commissioners hear testimony, review evidence, and issue rulings based on the record. But public input plays a role too—and that’s where we come in.
Engaging with your PUCs
Getting involved with your PUCs might sound daunting—or, to be honest, a little boring—but it’s genuinely one of the most powerful ways to influence how energy decisions are made in your state. PUCs don’t hear from regular people very often, which means our calls and emails can have a serious influence! And we don’t need to be experts to participate. Here are a few ways to get started:
Call or email your commissioners: They’re public officials representing your interests - make sure they know what those interests are. Here’s a playbook with an email script started.
Submit written comments and attend public meetings: Most regular PUCs hold regular comment periods as well as in-person sessions that include time for public comment. You don’t need to know the technical details or have all the answers, just ask the right questions and make your priorities heard. To name a few: we generally want PUCs to prioritize clean energy investments, stop methane leaks while retiring aging “natural” gas infrastructure, expand the grid, co-locate transmission lines along highways, and keep bills affordable for residents.
So don’t get scared off by all the wonky acronyms and long docket filings. Just by showing up, staying curious, and challenging the status quo, you’re contributing to a more transparent and forward-thinking utility system!
Looking to focus your advocacy and maximize productivity?
Climate Changemakers Action Plans are a clear pathway to making no-brainer solutions happen in your city and state. When it comes to PUCs, they can help unblock thousands of clean energy projects! Learn more here.
In May and June 2025, join fellow changemakers across the U.S. in contacting key state leaders and urging them to build transmission lines along existing highways.