Who We Are
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) is a three-member commission appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate.
Our Mission is to protect the people of Washington by ensuring investor-owned utility and transportation services are safe, equitable, available, reliable and fairly priced.
Our Vision is to strive to achieve equitable and fair outcomes as a regulator of utility and transportation services and prioritize inclusion and belonging in the workplace.
Regulated Industries include electric, telecommunications, natural gas, water, and transportation. The commission regulates intrastate residential household movers, solid waste collection companies, private ferries, as well as the safety of charter buses, railroads, railroad crew transportation, and transportation for persons with special needs such as private, non-profit transportation providers.
Washington State law requires that utility and transportation rates must be reasonable to customers, giving regulated companies a chance to cover legitimate costs and earn a fair profit, so they can stay in business. What is fair to the company, and at the same time fair to the people and businesses it serves, is what the commission must decide many times over. Cases are heard in a formal, legal setting, with the commission hearing evidence from all sides before issuing a decision.
For most of our state's history, private utilities and carriers providing public services usually have been monopolies. If they had been left unregulated, without the restraints of the free-market system, they would have had unchecked power over the state's most essential services.
Agency Strategic Plans
A strategic plan is an agency's blueprint for results. Strategic planning focuses and drives management activities and decisions. The development of our strategic plan is an iterative process, driven by the commission's current challenges and future needs.
UTC 101 Training Series
UTC offered a two-part virtual training series to learn more about the structure and role of the commission and ways the public can get involved.
Part A: July 13, 2022 - Agenda, Vocab Handout, and Recording
- General overview of the history and authority of the commission
- Overview of UTC staff roles and proceedings
- Current key issues before the commission
- Impacts to customers
Part B: July 21, 2022 - Agenda, Recording
- Learn about the different types of UTC proceedings
- How organizations can access Participatory Funding to participate in those proceedings
- Other ways the public can get involved in UTC proceedings