Opinion ID: 1984859
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Railroad Commission Act

Text: The PSC contends that it may order retail wheeling under § 22 of the railroad commission act, M.C.L. § 462.22; MSA 22.41, which empowers the PSC to, upon complaint, investigate and remedy unreasonable or inadequate practices and services. MCL 460.54; MSA 22.4 grants the PSC the same measure of authority with reference to utilities as the Michigan Railroad Commission once had over railroads under the railroad commission act. As we noted in Union Carbide, supra at 156, 428 N.W.2d 322, however, the railroad commission did not enjoy sweeping powers.... We conclude that the PSC's commensurate authority does not include the power to require a utility to provide transmission services for third-party providers. By statute, the Legislature required railroads to transfer and deliver freight, cars, or passengers carried on another line that are destined to a point on its line or a connecting line. MCL 462.7(a); MSA 22.26(a). As M.C.L. § 462.7(a); MSA 22.26(a) aptly demonstrates, the Legislature has expressly required that public service providers open their facilities to other providers when it deems appropriate. The Legislature recognized a similar need involving telephone service in 1913, and granted the Railroad Commission the authority to order local providers to interconnect their lines and perform switching service for the transmission of messages between the lines. 1913 P.A. 206, repealed by 1991 P.A. 179. [12] Absent a comparable statutory provision, the PSC cannot mandate that an electric utility transmit a third-party provider's electricity to an end-user.