Contact:
800 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2000
Seattle, WA 98104
E-mail
The Public Counsel Unit is comprised of 2 attorneys and 5 professional staff. The unit represents the customers of state-regulated investor-owned utility companies. These include telecommunications companies such as Qwest, Verizon and Sprint, and electric and gas companies such as Puget Sound Energy, Avista and PacifiCorp.
Back to top
The Public Counsel Unit advocates for Washington utility consumers, with an emphasis on the interests of residential and small business customers, on issues such as rates, service quality, company business practices, mergers, and competition.
Representing the citizens in utility matters means advocating for the interests of consumers in a variety of ways, including filing as a statutory party in major rate cases at the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC), making presentations at bi-weekly WUTC business meetings, participating in technical study groups; making court appeals, and providing information to the Legislature and other policy makers.
Back to top
Major Rate Cases: In 2008, all energy utilities in Washington except Cascade Natural Gas have major rate cases simultaneously before the UTC, requesting over $300 million annually in increased rates from 1.5 million affected residential and business customers in all parts of the state.
Mergers and Significant Asset Sales: In 2008 Public Counsel represented consumer interests in several major transaction review cases including:
$7 billion acquisition of Puget Sound Energy acquisition by a private equity investment consortium (Macquarie Group/Canadian pension plans)
Verizon’s spin- off of its Yellow Pages business (reached settlement with Commission Staff and Verizon and other parties worth $37.5 million annually in any future rate case or earnings review through 2016.)
Qwest Telecommunications sale of its downtown Seattle office building
Qwest Alternative Regulation: Public Counsel participated in the implementation phase of Qwest’s new 4 year pilot alternative regulation plan, including the $4 million broadband deployment plan adopted at Public Counsel’s recommendation.
Back to top