§ 1 Department of public utilities; seal
§ 1A Department priorities
§ 2 Commonwealth utilities commission; membership; appointment and terms; chairman; quorum; salaries; annual report
§ 2A Energy advisory board; membership; duties
§ 3 Commissioners; oath; interests in regulated industry companies
§ 4 Chairman of commission; powers and duties; hearings; investigations; reports
§ 4A Hearings on change of rates or reduction in or discontinuance of service; time and place
§ 4B Authority of commissioner upon declaration of state of emergency
§ 4C Action for appointment of receiver to oversee operation of investor-owned electric distribution, transmission or natural gas distribution company during existence of emergency
§ 5 Rulings; orders; appeal; costs; staying enforcement; burden of proof; evidence
§ 5A Witnesses; summonses; subpoenas; fees
§ 5B Rules and regulations
§ 5C Hazardous materials; rail transportation regulations
§ 5D Trade secrets, confidential information; protection from disclosure; burden of proof
§ 5E Audit of companies subject to jurisdiction of department; time of commencement; payment of costs; filing of results
§ 7 Duties relative to common carriers; employees; division of railroad track inspection
§ 8 Duties relative to common carriers; expenditures
§ 9 Duties relative to water, gas and electric companies; expenditures; employees
§ 10 Officers and employees; supervision and control
§ 10B Filing fees
§ 12F Transportation division; director; assistants
§ 12G Transportation division; investigations and inquiries
§ 12N Facility siting division
§ 12O Department of Telecommunications and Energy Trust Fund
§ 12P Department of Public Utilities Storm Trust Fund
§ 12Q Department of Public Utilities Energy Facilities Siting Board Trust Fund
§ 12R Department of Public Utilities Unified Carrier Registration Trust Fund
§ 18 Assessments upon energy companies based on intrastate revenues; rates; suspension of rates
§ 18A Assessment against steam distribution companies; apportionment; time for payment; credit for unexpended funds
§ 19 Funding for energy efficiency programs; mandatory charge per kilowatt-hour; other funding; gas energy efficiency programs; allocation of funds; transfer of funds for the clean energy equity workforce and market development program
§ 20 Funding for development and promotion of renewable energy projects; mandatory charge per kilowatt-hour; election by certain municipal lighting plants
§ 21 Energy efficiency and demand reduction resources cost-effective or less expensive than supply preferred; energy and natural gas efficiency investment plans; failure to reasonably comply with plan
§ 22 Energy efficiency advisory council; membership; duties; quarterly report to council
§ 23 Division for the administration, implementation and enforcement of chapter 159A1/2; funding from surcharge on transportation network companies

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Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws > Chapter 25 - Department of Public Utilities

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
  • Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
  • Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.