PowerLines is a nonprofit founded in 2024 to modernize U.S. utility regulation by centering consumer interests in public utilities commission decisions on household energy costs.
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PowerLines is a nonprofit organisation founded in 2024 to modernise utility regulation in the United States by centring consumer interests in the decisions of state public utilities commissions (PUCs) that determine household energy costs. It was established by Charles Hua following an observation that year about rising utility bills and outdated regulation. The organisation works across the country and is structured around three interconnected pillars: people, policy, and process.
Its work spans three areas. The PUC Jobs Board is a recruitment platform intended to build a talent pipeline for state public utilities commissions, helping to attract commissioners and staff to a workforce system overseen by just 200 PUC commissioners nationwide. PowerLines also advances legislative frameworks for modernising utility regulation, and provides support to community groups navigating complex regulatory proceedings before PUCs. Its technical domains include energy policy, utility regulation, energy affordability, and community advocacy and regulatory navigation.
The scale of the terrain is considerable. PUCs oversee roughly $200 billion in annual U.S. utility spending. In 2025, utility rate increase requests reached a record $31 billion, affecting an estimated 81 million Americans. PowerLines describes its orientation as consumer-first, with a stated focus on equity for low-income communities disproportionately affected by rising utility bills. The organisation's work has been covered by The New York Times, Bloomberg, CBS News, TIME and Vox.
