Many Michiganders feel powerless over their own electrical power. That’s because, despite approved rate hikes, when a storm hits the power can be out for days before utility companies like Consumers Energy and DTE Energy are able to restore it. But while many are disappointed with the performance of Michigan’s utility companies, some regulators point to progress as outage time has decreased by about 23% since 2019.

Dan Scripps is the chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission, which regulates DTE Energy. He joined host Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss what is being done to improve the state’s aging grid, and why the utility company is sometimes too slow to restore power.