Here's Who Regulates Your Power — and Who to Call When There’s a Problem

Positive Current’s plain-language guide to the referees of America’s grid — and who to call about everything from your bill to blackout risks.

Every month you pay a power bill. The name of your local utility is on the envelope, it shows up on your autopay statement, and it’s the greeting when you call customer service. But behind that familiar brand is a web of regulators shaping what you pay, how your power is supplied, and whether your lights hold steady in a storm.

In the U.S., energy regulation is split across layers of authority. Your utility company runs the wires and sends the trucks. Your state commission sets most of the charges you see on your bill. Federal regulators in Washington decide on interstate power lines, natural gas pipelines, and national reliability standards. Together, they determine how much you pay, how reliable your service is, and whether your electricity leans more on coal, gas, or renewables. Knowing who does what can help you understand not only where your money goes each month, but also who to contact when something goes wrong.

Positive Current put together this plain-language guide — to show you who regulates what, and who to call when something goes wrong.

Your Local Utility

Your bill starts with the company you know by name — and that name varies by region. Over the years, I’ve written checks to Alabama Power, set up autopay with Dominion Energy, and called PG&E when the lights went out.

Your local utility owns the poles, wires, and many of the power plants in your area. They decide how to staff crews, when to make repairs, and what projects to propose next.

They’re also the ones who answer the phone when the lights go out. They operate as private, often publicly traded companies, and their revenue is tightly regulated. Utilities can propose rate hikes and new investments, but they don’t get to set prices on their own.

💡If your lights go out or your bill looks off, your utility is the first call — they’re the ones who dispatch the crews and answer the customer service lines. But remember, many of the rules they follow come from state and federal regulators.

Your State Regulator

Every state has a public utility commission — the body that referees what your power company can charge. In Georgia, for example, it’s the PSC. These commissions review proposals for new projects, from offshore wind farms to new gas plants, and decide whether they’re in the public interest. When you see fees for “fuel adjustment” or “rate riders” — add-on charges for things like storm recovery or renewable projects — those were approved by your state regulator.

If you want to raise concerns about costs or keep tabs on how new projects are approved, your commission is where those decisions are made.

💡 To share input on a rate increase, follow a new project, or register feedback on how charges appear on your bill, your state public utility commission is the venue. Most commissions now have online portals and public hearing schedules that make it easier for customers to participate.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

Power lines don’t stop at the state line, and pipelines don’t either. That’s where the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) comes in. Your utility manages the poles, wires, and plants in your area, and your state commission decides what that utility can charge and which projects move forward. FERC oversees what happens beyond those borders — setting the rules for the nation’s energy highways: the massive transmission lines that connect states, the natural gas pipelines that run across regions, and the siting and operation of large export projects like LNG terminals. FERC also decides what portion of those interstate infrastructure costs utilities can pass on to customers.

That means part of your bill — especially transmission charges — reflects rulings made in Washington, D.C., not just by your local power company.

💡 You won’t call FERC about a downed power line, but you can submit comments on issues that affect your community — like whether a new pipeline runs near your town, how transmission upgrades could raise your bill, or how grid rules affect reliability during extreme weather. And for bigger-picture questions, your member of Congress is the elected official who can press FERC directly.

The Reliability Cop: NERC

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) doesn’t show up on your bill, but its fingerprints are everywhere. NERC sets the standards your utility must follow to keep the grid stable. Everything from storm preparedness to cybersecurity to how much backup capacity is required runs through NERC oversight, enforced by FERC.

When your power goes out during a polar vortex or a heat wave, you’ll call your local utility. But whether that grid was ready in the first place often comes down to compliance with NERC rules.

💡 NERC doesn’t take customer calls. It enforces reliability standards through your utility and your state commission. If you’re worried about grid reliability in your area, the most direct path is to raise it with your state commission or your congressional representatives, who oversee federal energy policy.

The Cost of Climate Risk

Disasters are rewriting the economics of energy. When wildfires, hurricanes, or severe storms cause billions in damages, utilities often ask regulators for permission to pass those costs on to customers. Sometimes it’s state commissions making the call. Other times, for transmission-level costs, it’s FERC. That’s why you may see a “storm recovery” or “wildfire surcharge” on your bill. Those line items don’t reflect the cost of today’s electricity, but the cost of yesterday’s disasters — approved through regulatory channels.

💡 If you notice a storm recovery or wildfire surcharge on your bill, that charge was approved by regulators. For state-level costs, you can raise questions or submit input through your public utility commission. For costs tied to interstate systems, you can follow filings and submit comments through FERC’s online system.

The Bottom Line

Your power company may be the name on the bill, but it’s not the only player shaping your service. State commissions decide what that utility can charge. FERC sets the rules for the interstate highways of energy — the transmission lines and pipelines that cross borders. NERC writes the reliability standards that keep the grid steady. And in an era of stronger storms and wildfires, regulators at every level decide how the costs of past disasters show up in today’s bills.

The grid is built for the people who depend on it. Each layer exists to serve you — and you have a voice in how the system works.