---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 2627"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "2627"
heading: "Relationship to State law"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/2627"
units:
  - "Chapter 46 — Public Utility Regulatory Policies"
  - "Subchapter II — Standards for Electric Utilities"
---

# §2627. Relationship to State law

- (a) **Revenue and rate of return—** Nothing in this chapter shall authorize or require the recovery by an [electric utility](/usc/16/2602.md?p=4) of revenues, or of a [rate](/usc/16/2602.md?p=10) of return, in excess of, or less than, the amount of revenues or the [rate](/usc/16/2602.md?p=10) of return determined to be lawful under any other provision of law.
- (b) **State authority—** Nothing in this chapter prohibits any [State regulatory authority](/usc/16/2602.md?p=17) or [nonregulated electric utility](/usc/16/2602.md?p=9) from adopting, pursuant to [State](/usc/16/2602.md?p=15) law, any standard or rule affecting [electric utilities](/usc/16/2602.md?p=4) which is different from any standard established by this subchapter.
- (c) **Federal agencies—** With respect to any [electric utility](/usc/16/2602.md?p=4) which is a [Federal agency](/usc/16/2602.md?p=7), and with respect to the Tennessee Valley Authority when it is treated as a [State regulatory authority](/usc/16/2602.md?p=17) as provided in [section 2602(17) of this title](/usc/16/2602.md?p=17), any reference in section [2621](/usc/16/2621.md) or [2623](/usc/16/2623.md) of this title to [State](/usc/16/2602.md?p=15) law shall be treated as a reference to Federal law.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 95–617, title I, § 117, Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3128.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b), was in the original “this title”, meaning title I (§ 101 et seq.) of Pub. L. 95–617, Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3120, which enacted subchapters I to IV of this chapter and section 6808 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, and amended sections 6802 to 6807 of Title 42. For complete classification of title I to the Code, see Tables.