Public Power
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"Where a community, a city, or county, or a district, is not satisfied with the services rendered or the rates charged by the private utility, it has the undeniable right as one of the functions of government, to set up its own governmentally owned and operated service."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a 1932 campaign speech
Simply put, public power is power for the people, from the people-- not power for the people from a select group of investors who wish to profit handsomely by providing that power to the people.
Visit the American Public Power Association web site for more information about the concept and importance of Public Power.
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| Public Power Facts
Public power utilities represent and serve America’s diversity:
--Approximately one in seven Americans (40 million people) receives electricity from a public power system.
--There are more than 2,000 public power systems in the U.S. They are in every state but Hawaii.
--Some of the largest cities with public power systems are Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, Sacramento, Memphis, Seattle, Jacksonville, Austin, Nashville, and Omaha.
--Public power systems also serve some of the nation’s smallest towns. More than 1,200 public power systems serve 3,000 or fewer customers.
--More than two-thirds of public power systems are distribution-only utilities, purchasing power at wholesale for resale.
--Public power systems are governed democratically through the local government structure. Most – especially the smaller ones – are governed by a city council, while others are governed by an independently elected or appointed board.
--Public power is an American tradition that works. At the beginning of the new millennium, over 500 public power systems in the U.S. had already celebrated their centennial anniversaries.
--Public power’s non-profit, hometown attributes hold down electric rates.
According to U.S. Department of Energy statistics, private power company residential customers pay average electricity rates that are about 18% more than those paid by public power customers. Private power commercial customers pay average electricity rates that are about 9% more than those paid by public power customers. Public and private power industrial rates are about the same. Studies show that public power’s low rates are due primarily to its operating and managerial efficiencies.
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