# Michigan Public Service Commission

## Who decides utility questions in Michigan?

A utility wants to raise its rates. A company proposes a power line near a neighborhood. A large data center needs electricity. Who decides these questions? In Michigan, some go to the Michigan Public Service Commission, usually called the MPSC. It is a state agency with three commissioners who issue written decisions. Its work can affect household bills, reliable service, and the places where energy projects are built. We'll explain what the Commission does and where residents fit into the process.

## What the MPSC can decide

The MPSC doesn't have unlimited power over anything connected to a utility. Michigan's Legislature gives it specific responsibilities through state laws. Different laws apply to rates, transmission lines, pipelines, and renewable projects. Other agencies handle some environmental and federal questions. Local land use can involve local government. Municipal utilities and some electric cooperatives also have important exceptions to state rate regulation. Broadband, cellular service, and internet services generally fall outside the Commission's stated authority. A concern can be important without being one the MPSC has the power to decide.

## From railroads to utility oversight

The agency's history began with railroads. Michigan created a railroad commission in 1873, when reliable transportation and the companies providing it were major public concerns. It began with one commissioner and expanded to three in 1909. Electricity and telephone responsibilities came later. In 1919, the Michigan Public Utilities Commission replaced the earlier institution. Its responsibilities changed as the Legislature changed the law. Today's Commission didn't start with every power it has now, and future laws can change its role again. That helps explain why the same agency deals with several kinds of services.

## Three commissioners, terms ending at different times

The Legislature created the Michigan Public Service Commission in 1939. Its structure later changed to three commissioners with staggered six-year terms. Staggered means their terms end at different times, rather than replacing everyone at once. State law also says no more than two commissioners may belong to the same political party. That leaves room for different political backgrounds without requiring a particular vote on a case. The law shown here gives the structure. Individual utility proposals still have to be decided under the laws that apply to them.

## The commissioners as of October 7, 2026

As of October 7, 2026, the three commissioners were Dan Scripps, Katherine Peretick, and Shaquila Myers. Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed all three. Scripps was the chair, whose current term was listed as ending in July 2029. Peretick's term was listed as ending in July 2027, and Myers's in July 2031. Their official biographies describe experience in law, energy, engineering, and public policy. The roster listed Scripps and Myers as Democrats and Peretick as an Independent. Those backgrounds describe the people making decisions; they don't tell us how a particular case will turn out.

## How commissioners are appointed

The Governor chooses commissioners and designates the chair. The Senate can reject an appointment if more than half of its elected and serving members vote to do so within sixty session days. Session days are days the Senate is in session, not ordinary calendar days. An appointment that isn't rejected in that period stands confirmed. The constitution's wording is shown here. Residents can understand who appoints the commissioners without treating appointment politics as a prediction of every decision. A case's evidence, written reasons, and actual votes are the better guides to what the Commission did.

## A request, a hearing, and a decision

A company begins many cases by asking for something: permission to build, approval of a plan, or a change in rates. Its application is the request, not the decision. The case can then include maps, studies, testimony, public comments, and hearings. Staff review information, and an administrative law judge may handle hearing work. The three commissioners issue the final written decision, called an order. An order may approve, reject, or place conditions on a request. These records let residents see both what the company wanted and what the Commission actually allowed.

## What could change your utility bill?

A rate case asks how much money a utility may collect and how costs are shared among customers. That can affect your bill, but a headline about the company's total requested increase isn't your household's percentage increase. Your charges depend on your rate plan and electricity or gas use. A new transmission line raises a different question about construction and its route. A large data center may raise questions about a special service contract and who pays for related needs. Approving one part of a project doesn't automatically settle every future cost or bill effect.

## A proposed rule is not yet a requirement

The Commission applies the law; it doesn't write every law it uses. The Legislature can change the rules, including which projects come before the Commission and what it must consider. The Commission may also develop guidelines or rules within its authority. A proposal to change a rule isn't the same as a rule already in force. Think of an announced possibility and an adopted requirement as different stages. That distinction matters when a company or neighbor says a new rule will change a project. The actual status determines what applies at that point.

## Different records answer different questions

Public records help explain decisions, but different records answer different questions. An annual report describes the agency's work broadly. A project's order tells us what happened in that case. A meeting announcement tells us when people may be heard. The record can also show conditions attached to an approval. Some concerns need another agency or another kind of proceeding. For example, permission to build a facility doesn't settle every environmental permit or private land agreement. Knowing the question under review helps residents understand why one decision may leave other issues unresolved.

## A complaint or a public comment?

For a problem with a bill or service, the utility's customer process is usually the first place to start. Keeping bills, dates, and letters helps explain what happened. The MPSC also has a complaint channel for matters within its authority. A public comment on a proposed project serves a different purpose: it tells the decision maker about a concern or local experience. A resident can describe a road used by children, flooding on a property, or trouble understanding a proposed charge. The case number and notice help connect that comment to the right proposal.

## What is a formal role in a case?

Becoming a formal party is called intervention. It gives a role in presenting and questioning evidence, along with responsibilities and deadlines. It is different from sending a comment. Some laws give participation rights to particular affected owners or local governments. Other cases follow different rules. Residents don't have to master the entire system to understand what is happening. Start with the company's request, the map or bill change, the latest decision, and the opportunities to be heard. The MPSC's role is to make the decisions assigned to it by law, with reasons people can examine.