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Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Bureau of Archives and History
Pennsylvania
State Archives
The Secretary is the Public Utility Commission's agent
over whose signature all official actions and decisions are issued. The Secretary's
Bureau coordinates the development of the Commission's Public Meeting Agenda,
and the Secretary and/or Assistant Secretary sits at all formal public meetings
of the Commission to insure that the Agenda is followed to completion and that
the Minutes are properly recorded and subsequently maintained. The Secretary is
additionally responsible for the coordination and conduct of emergency operations.
For a history of the this commission visit the Public Utility Commission website
at www.puc.state.pa.us.
Affiliated Interest
Agreement Dockets,
1976-1979.
(6 cartons)
{series #37.12} [Holdings]
Dockets, letters of agreement, and Public Utility Commission orders approving
proposed affiliated agreements between utility companies operating in Pennsylvania.
The agreements may relate to borrowing funds, sharing labor, or sharing or transfer
of real estate or infrastructure between the affiliated entities. The type of
information provided is the nature of the proposed aggreements of affilliated
interest submitted to the PUC for approval, supporting documentation, and the
final order issued by the PUC.
Annual Report of the
Public Utility Commission,
1992-1993.
(1 volume)
{series #37.10} [Holdings]
The Annual Report provides a summary of the duties, jurisdiction, policies,
organization and programs of the Public Utility Commission, a budget summary,
brief biographies of the staff of the Commission and the Commissioners, performance
data for the various utilities for the year, and data relating to bureau
audits.
Annual Report of the State Railroad Commission,
1909.
(1 volume)
{series #37.1} [Holdings]
This is the second annual report of the State Railroad Commission which details
the activities of the Commission concerning complaints and inquiries relating
to railroads and street railway service, accidents particularly at grade crossings
or involving trespassers, locomotive boiler inspections, forest fires caused by
railroads, and industrial railways. Lists and summaries of complaints brought
before the Commission in 1908, but reviewed in 1909, are included as part of the
report. The appendices include: Appendix A lists complaints filed in 1909, Appendix
B summarizes and classifies accidents on railroads and street railways, Appendix
C tabulated statement of accidents occurring on railroads, Appendix D tabulated
statement of accidents occurring on street railways, Appendix E lists railroads
and street railways reporting no accidents, Appendix F lists reported investigations
of accidents, Appendix G provides a statement of traveling expenses and disbursements
for the Commission, and Appendix H contains the Rules of practice before the Commission.
Audit Dockets,
1975-1995.
(22
cartons, 1 box)
{series #37.7} [Holdings]
Arranged numerically by case number.The docket numbers are ranges and are
not inclusive.
Audit Reports issued by the Public Utility Commission
for each of the public utilities operating in Pennsylvania. There is a document
folder and a report folder for each case. The document folders contain cover sheets,
correspondence, and audit documents. The report folders contain audit reports
and reports for public meetings. Information provided includes the date of the
report, the Bureau Agenda number assigned, the name of the Bureau and Section,
the public meeting date, the name of the staff member approving the audit, the
name of the monitor, the name of the person in charge of the audit, the Docket
Number, a short summary and history of the facts, the recommendation made by the
staff, the name of the persons making the first and second motions, the vote of
each of the commissioners and their names, and the content of the motion. Also
present is a copy of the letter sent from the Secretary of the PUC addressed to
the president of the utility informing the utility company of the decision. The
date ranges' for each carton are the dates for the original audit dockets. Some
large topics, like Gas Cost Rate (D#79-00192), encompass several cartons.
Maps of Regulated Electric Utilities and Rural Electric
Cooperatives,
1944-1987.
(15 map drawers)
{series #37.13} [Holdings]
Maps created in the Joint Mapping Project between Pennsylvania's electric utility
companies regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the Rural
Electric Association, a member organization of rural electric cooperatives that
are not regulated by the PUC. The legislation that created the PUCexempted from
regulation those utilities operated by municipalities that do not provide utility
services beyond their corporate limits. For this reason, rural electric cooperatives
owned and operated by rural municipal authorities, or partnerships between municipalities,
were not placed under PUC regulation. All of the State is served by a single large
power grid interconnected by high voltage transmission lines that supply the local
distribution lines that in turn serve individual businesses and residences. Since
the 1940s, disputes have arisen over the boundaries of the regulated electric
utilities such as Metropolitan Edison (Met-Ed), Pennsylvania Electric Company
(Penelec), Pennsylvania Power Company (Penn Power), West Penn Power (WPP), Pennsylvania
Power and Light (PPL), and the Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO) and the service
territories of what eventually became the members of the REA. In an attempt to
properly define the boundaries of their respective service territories and end
disputes over customers served, the PUC initiated the Joint Map Submission Project
between its regulated electric utilities and the members of the REA under the
Commission's regulations at Chapter 57 of 52 PA Code and Act 57 governing municipal
boundaries. Some maps feature boundary lines while others display distribution
lines that show how they connect to the major transmission lines. The maps present
a regional history of Pennsylvania, progressively updated with new distribution
lines and growing municipal boundaries to serve growing populations. Related records
concern "Disputed Areas" where agreement on boundaries could not be
reached. Also present are four drawers of miscellaneous maps depicting gas pipelines,
water lines and bridge reconstructions, 1957-1982.
Minute
Books of the Public Service Commission and the Public Utility Commission,
1919-1992.
(127 cartons)
{series #37.2}
[Holdings]
Arranged chronologically
by date of meeting.
This series contains a record of the meetings and
proceedings of the Public Service Commission, October 20, 1919 to March 30, 1937,
and the Public Utility Commission, April 6, 1937 to November 7, 1968. These Commissions
had the general and administrative power to supervise and regulate all public
service companies conducting business within the State. Information includes the
date and location of the meeting, as well as a record of attendance. Matters discussed
during the meetings include the actions taken in regard to complaints and applications
submitted to the Commission. The complaints and applications pertain to rate schedules,
fare increases, operators as carriers for persons or property, the operation of
transportation services in or between specified areas, utilities in specified
areas, facility improvements, the failure to pay fines or damages, the failure
to attain property and injury insurance.
**Unprocessed materials in this
series include: accession #2075, 1969 (2 cartons); accession #2154, 1970 (1 carton);
accession #2220, 1971, 1972 (2 cartons); accession #2262, 1973 (2 cartons); accession
#2320, January-April 1974 (1 carton); accession #2381, May-December 1974 (2 cartons);
accession #2448, January-April 1975 (1 carton); accession #2654, 1975, 1976 (3
cartons); accession #2562, 1976 (2 cartons); accession #2865, 1977 (2 cartons);
accession #2844, 1977, 1978 (2 cartons); accession #3043, 1978 (2 cartons); accession
#3150, January-May 1979 (2 cartons); accession #3234, 1979 (3 cartons); accession
#3361, January-March 1980 (1 carton); accession #3569, 1980, 1981 (3 cartons);
accession #3612, January-May 1981 (1 carton); accession #3728, May-September 1981
(1 carton); accession #3830, 1981, 1982 (2 cartons); accession #4248, 1982 (3
cartons); accession #4368, 1983 (1 carton); accession #5001, 1983-1986 (8 cartons);
accession #5121, 1987 (1 carton); accession #5213, 1987 (1 carton); accession
#5403, 1987, 1988 (1 carton); accession #5510, 1988 (2 cartons); accession #5572,
1989 (2 cartons)**
Miscellaneous Cases and Photographs,
1932-1963.
(3 folders)
{series #37.9} [Holdings]
Miscellaneous utility operating summaries and photographs. Photographs include
images of various bridges and other utility infrastructure. Information provided
may be date and location of the photographs and summary data regarding various
utility operations.
Miscellaneous Dockets,
1967-2007.
(40 cartons)
{series #37.8} [Holdings]
Court dockets concerning suits filed by the Public Utility Commission against
utility companies or by utility companies against the PUC. Information provided
includes date of the filing, court in which filed, names of the principals, the
basis of the suit, and the court ruling.
Three Mile
Island Investigation Records,
1968-1998.
(22 cartons,
1 folder in 1 box)
{series #37.3} [Holdings]
Grouped by type of document. Certain folders have been labeled as
"Confidential" are not available to the general public.
Documents
relating to the investigation of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant incident
of March 28, 1979 and the financial consequences resulting from it. Included in
this series are docket case files, residential petitions, testimony and exhibit
files, hearing transcripts, Three Mile Island Unit 2 daily flow documents, and
pre-incident, incident and post-incident documents, such as testimony and hearing
transcripts, exhibits, correspondence, petitions, orders, and reports. Also found
are related case items, including Public Utility Commission Docket Number 1-790404308,
Pennsylvania Public Utility v. Metropolitan Edison Company and Pennsylvania Electric
Company; and Three Mile Island Unit 1 docket 50-89.
**Unprocessed materials
in this series include: accession #3178, 1988-1998 (1 folder in 1 box)**
The Bureau of Rates and Research was organized in 1945 and was responsible
for the investigation and regulation of rates, tariffs, accounting systems, mergers
and consolidations for all non-transportation utilities. The Bureau was replaced
by the Bureau of Rates and Fixed Utilities following the reorganization of 1976.
Annual Reports of Non-Transportation Utilities,
1914, 1922-1995.
(360 cartons)
{series #37.4} [Holdings]
Grouped by accession number, thereunder grouped by type of utility, then
alphabetically by name of company, and then chronologically by year.
Financial and statistical statements of non-transportation companies, such as
telegraph, telephone, water, gas, electric, and combination utilities, filed annually
with the Rates and Research Bureau of the Public Utilities Commission. Information
furnished varies by type of utility, but generally include each company's name
and location, reporting period, type of utility, names of officers and directors,
corporate structure, financial statements, and statistical tables which describe
the physical system and services provided by the utilities.
The Bureau of Transportation replaced the Bureau
of Motor Transportation in 1945. The Bureau was charged with regulating all air,
land, and water carriers of persons and property, other than by rail. The goal
of the Bureau was to ensure adequate transportation services to the public and
that rates charged for services were just and reasonable. To accomplish these
goals, the Bureau controlled the number of carriers serving a given area and controlled
the rates charged for the services. In 1996, the Bureau was replaced by the Bureau
of Transportation and Safety.
Annual Reports
of Transportation Utilities for Large and Small Carriers,
1939-1969,
1972-1993.
(291 cartons, 14 boxes)
{series #37.5} [Holdings]
This series is grouped by accession number, and thereunder some variances
are found. Generally the records are either: grouped by type of carrier, thereunder
arranged chronologically by date, and then alphabetically by the name of the carrier;
or grouped by year, and thereunder alphabetically by the name of the carrier.
Financial and statistical statements of transportation companies, such as
trucking, railroads, buses, and taxicabs, filed annually with the Bureau of Transportation
in the Public Utility Commission. Information varies by type of carrier, but generally
includes each company's name and location, reporting period, type of carrier,
names of officers and directors, corporate structure, financial statements, and
statistical tables which describe the physical system and services provided by
the carrier.
Uniform Classification Book of Accounts
for Common Carriers of Passengers,
1928.
(3 volumes)
{series #37.6} [Holdings]
Arranged by classification of common carrier.
Publications prepared
by the Public Service Commission to describe and explain the standardized accounting
requirements to be used by Class A, Class B and Class C common carriers of passengers
that used motor vehicles. Common carriers were divided into four classifications:
Class A for carriers having annual operating revenues over $250,000; Class B for
carriers having annual operating revenues over $50,000 but not over $250,000;
and Class C for carriers having annual operating revenues over $10,000 but under
$50,000; and Class D for carriers having annual operating revenues under $10,000.
Types of accounts recorded include fixed capital, current assets, investments,
capital liability, funded debt, current liability, deferred credit, and surplus.
| PA State Archives | Hours, Directions, & Fees | Research Topics | Finding Aids for Collections | Land Records |