Vanessa Calhoun

Kansas Corporation Commission

The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) regulates five cornerstone industries in the Kansas economy. The Commission has the responsibility of ensuring that natural gas, electricity, telephone and transportation vendors provide safe, adequate and reliable services at reasonable rates. The Commission also has the mandate of assuring that oil and gas producers protect correlative rights and environmental resources. The authority of the KCC is derived from KSA 74-601 to 74-631. In the absence of competition, the KCC regulates public utilities, common carriers, motor carriers, and oil and gas producers. It does not regulate most electric cooperatives, water cooperatives, municipalities, wireless telephones, long distance phone services, cable companies or the internet. The Kansas Corporation Commission has provided 125 years of regulatory service to the citizens of Kansas. The Kansas Commission was one of the first state regulatory bodies in the nation, established as the Railroad Commission in 1883 by the Kansas Legislature. The Railroad Commission had power and authority to regulate steam-operated railroads, express companies, sleeping car companies and inter-company electric lines. The members were elected by popular vote. In 1911, the Kansas Legislature created a three member Public Utilities Commission to regulate telegraph and telephone companies, pipeline companies, common carriers, water, electric, gas and all power companies with the exception of those owned by municipalities. Members of this commission were appointed by the Governor. The State Corporation Commission of the State of Kansas was established by the Legislature in 1933. Its jurisdiction was extended to include the regulation of motor carriers, gas conservation and supervision of plugging abandoned wells to protect fresh and useable water from pollution.