Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA)
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Federal legislation, enacted in 1935, which regulates the corporate structure and financial operations of certain utility holding companies. PUHCA was intended to simplify the holding company structure and to require holding companies and their subsidiaries to form a single integrated utility system where possible. But for all practical purposes, PUHCA today imposes significant regulatory restrictions on the 11 electric utility holding company systems which are registered because they operate in more than two states and are subject to the restrictions of PUHCA. Such restrictions do not apply to their competitors.