TestAmerica Laboratories (formerly Severn Trent Laboratories) can tell you. It operates about 40 environmental testing laboratories and more than 30 service centers in the US. TestAmerica provides chemical, physical, and biological testing of air, drinking water, tissue, and solid waste. The company has developed technologies to test air for fire retardants, explosives, radiation, and source emissions. Its affiliates include environmental and geotechnical drilling firm TestAmerica Drilling, water sampling equipment and remediation pumping system provider QED Environmental Systems, and air quality analyst EMLab P&K).

Duke Energy Indiana (formerly PSI Energy) brings a spark to the Hoosier state. One of Indiana's largest utilities, Duke Energy subsidiary Duke Energy Indiana transmits and distributes electricity to 69 of the state's 92 counties (approximately 780,000 customers). The utility also owns power plants (more than 6,730 MW of primarily fossil-fueled capacity), which are operated by its parent's merchant energy division. Duke Energy Indiana's service area covers about 22,000 sq. miles with an estimated population of 2.4 million. The company operates about 31,000 miles of distribution lines and a 5,400-mile transmission system. In 2010 Duke Energy Indiana appointed company veteran Doug Esamann as president.

Falck Group makes its money through windy days, dead plants, and companies looking for a loan. The company maintains bioenergy and wind energy operations through publicly traded subsidiary Actelios. It also offers financial services to partners and suppliers through subsidiary Riesfactoring. Though it operates primarily in Italy, Falck's wind energy business is active in France, Spain, and the UK as well. The company was founded in 1906 by Giorgio Enrico Falck, a third-generation ironworker.

Kelda is a Norse word meaning source of water, and Yorkshire consumers count on the UK's Kelda Group as the source for water and wastewater services. The group's primary subsidiary, Yorkshire Water Services, serves some 1.7 million residential customers, representing more than 4.8 million people, and approximately 130,000 business customers. Its Loop subsidiary provides customer relationship management services for Yorkshire Water and other utilities. In addition, Kelda is engaged in real estate development through its KeyLand unit which develops or disposies of brownfield sites. In 2008 Kelda was acquired by a consortium of investment companies made up of Citigroup, GIC, Infracapital and HSBC.

NorthWestern, once a holding company for several energy-related businesses, is now blowing in one direction only -- providing power and gas through regulated utilites. Through its NorthWestern Energy subsidiary, the company provides electricity and natural gas to about 661,000 customers in Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota. In Montana it delivers electricity to approximately 335,000 customers in 187 communities and surrounding rural areas, 15 rural electric cooperatives, and in Wyoming to the Yellowstone National Park. NorthWestern delivers gas to 180,100 Montana customers. In Nebraska and South Dakota it sells natural gas to 85,5100 customers.

Utilities' formula for success is H-2-O. As one of the largest privately owned water and wastewater companies in the US, Utilities owns about 90 subsidiaries that operate more than 500 systems in 15 states, mainly east of the Mississippi. The company serves more than 300,000 customers. About half of the company's revenues come from water services and the other half from wastewater services; residential customers account for approximately 90% of sales. Utilities also provides reuse water for irrigation purposes and for golf courses and car washes. Expanding its coverage, in 2009 the company acquired the sewer collection system assets of Sewerage District No. 6 in Louisiana.

Pepco Holdings has more power than any politician in the populace of the US capital. The holding company distributes electricity and natural gas through its Potomac Electric Power (Pepco), Delmarva Power & Light, and Atlantic City Electric utilities to about 1.9 million customers in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington, DC. Nonregulated operations include independent power production, wholesale and retail energy marketing, and energy management services, through the company's Pepco Energy Services units.

Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), a subdivision of the Nebraska state government, OPPD generates and distributes electricity to residents and businesses in 13 counties in southeastern Nebraska. It operates and maintains its facilities without tax revenues and raises money for major construction through bonds. OPPD serves more than 340,000 customers in an area covering 5,000 sq. mi. The utility has a generating capacity of more than 3,220 MW, which is powered by nuclear, coal, oil, and natural gas sources. It sells wholesale power to other utilities and offers energy consulting and management services.

The York Water Company engages in impounding, purifying, and distributing drinking water in Pennsylvania. It owns and operates two reservoirs, Lake Williams and Lake Redman, which together holds approximately 2.2 billion gallons of water. The company also has a 15-mile pipeline from the Susquehanna River to Lake Redman that provides access to an additional supply of 12.0 million gallons of water per day. As of December 31, 2009, it served approximately 180,000 residential, commercial, industrial, and other customers in 39 municipalities in York County and 7 municipalities in Adams County. The company was founded in 1816 and is based in York, Pennsylvania.

One of the country's largest water utilities, AWG provides regulated water, wastewater, and environmental services to some 6 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers through its Anglian Water unit. Anglian Water operates primarily in the east of England. The AWG Property unit is engaged in commercial and residential property development AWG's Morrison Facilities Services unit provides a repair and maintenance service to homes and businesses in the UK. AWG was acquired in 2006 by Osprey Acquisitions Limited.

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