Michigan's utility companies and rural cooperatives, along with the federal government, national, and multi-national corporations have traditionally been held responsible for the development of the state's electricity infrastructure. In contrast, I argue that it has actually been Michigan's utilities oversight regime and the specific actions of the state's regulatory body, the Michigan Public Service Commission, that have played a central role in shaping the state's electricity landscape. Underlying this scheme was a particular notion of "progress," shared by utilities, cooperatives, and the Commission alike, which linked the deployment of massive, complex electricity infrastructure to the state's social advancement. These factors prompted utility companies to invest in new facilities of dubious necessity, producing an electricity landscape that is today characterized by dirty, ageing, fossil-fuelled power plants. Despite reforms, the artifacts of years past continue to block the implementation of both meaningful conservation programs and renewable fuels.

Through an examination of regulatory hearings, Commission and utility publications, and similar materials with a sub-national focus, this thesis employs narrative analysis to extend, temper, and illustrate the more common, national-level studies of the U.S. electricity system. In so doing, it recognizes the importance of scale in analysis and highlights the unique economic and social context surrounding Michigan's electricity landscape.