Research from Bommarito Consulting
Understand the decision.
Follow the evidence.
Guides to the laws and decisions that shape energy projects and communities. Start with a video, read the report, or examine the original documents.
Michigan utility decisions
Start with what the MPSC does, then follow the rules for the project near you.
2026-10-07 · Research guide
The Michigan Public Service Commission: People, Powers, and Process
From railroad regulation to today’s three-member Commission: its history, current commissioners, appointments, political structure, utility decisions, and public participation. Includes a detailed report and two videos.
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2026-10-07 · Research guide
Michigan Act 30 and the MPSC
Who chooses a transmission route, who pays for a large load, and how residents can participate. A visual guide to Act 30 and the MPSC's broader work, with a detailed report, two videos, case explorer, and primary sources.
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2026-10-07 · Research guide
Michigan Pipelines: Natural Gas, Petroleum, and Line 5
How Act 9 and Act 16 divide pipeline siting, how safety oversight works, and what the July 2026 Line 5 ruling requires. Includes original documents, a detailed report, and two videos.
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2026-10-07 · Research guide
Michigan Solar, Wind, and Battery Siting
A visual guide to PA 233: size thresholds, the local and state processes, setbacks, project commitments, and the May 2026 court ruling. Includes a detailed report and two videos.
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Power lines and permitting
Understand proposed laws, compare routes, and see what communities can decide.
2026-10-04 · Research guide
HB 5940: Power Lines Along Michigan's Highways
Michigan House Bill 5940 would end the rule that power lines along limited access highways must be buried, but four public bodies still have to act before any overhead line goes up, with no deadline for any of them and no new say for neighbors or townships. The change word for word, the path from law to line, a county table, the Senate package, and what township boards, county officials, and property owners in communities such as Williamstown and Locke can do before the MPSC's October 21, 2026 comment deadline.
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2026-09-30 · Research guide
The 2026 Senate Permitting Bill
An independent analysis of the September 30, 2026 Senate permitting deal: expanded federal power to approve power lines and take land, narrower court challenges, data center costs left to utility estimates, and no emissions limit — with Michigan worked examples and how the bill reaches other states. Full 40-page report available for download.
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2026-10-02 · Research guide
BAAJA, Line by Line
A 132-page, section-by-section reading of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA, S. 5653): what the Senate permitting bill actually says, what it changes in federal law, and who wins and loses, cited to page and line — with a tested answer to whether it is a data-center bill. Full report PDF and companion videos.
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2026-06-08 · Research guide
The Proposed ITC Oneida–Sabine Lake 345 kV Transmission Line
An independent, reproducible route and environmental analysis of ITC's seven published alternatives for the Oneida–Sabine Lake 345 kV line in central Michigan — scored on the Act 30 factors with and without House Bill 5940's freeway credit, stress-tested across a million weightings, and resolved township by township. Revised September 2026; full 41-page report and explainer video.
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Data centers and local decisions
Research on siting, public costs, and local approvals.
2026-10-09 · Research guide
BAAJA's Fine Print
Changes in the Senate permitting bill (BAAJA, S. 5653) that the sponsors' own section-by-section summary does not describe, likely drafting errors, and one change that looks hidden but is disclosed, each quoted, cited to page and line, and paired with a fix.
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2026-10-09 · Research guide
Checking the Case for BAAJA
Seventeen common claims made by supporters of the Senate permitting bill (BAAJA, S. 5653), each checked against the 417-page text with page and line citations: what they get right, what they leave out, and what they overstate.
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2026-07-13 · Research guide
The Oracle Tax Abatement Application in Saline Township
An independent evidence review of Oracle's $43.1 billion tax abatement application under Michigan Public Act 198: the statutory six-month commencement rule, the county's own permit record, the consent judgment, principal findings, and recommended actions — revised July 18, 2026 after the Township Board's July 14 and July 17 votes, with the full 46-page report available for download.
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