Detroit Edison Co. v. Township of Richmond

Plaintiff is a public utility which provides electrical services in southeastern Michigan. In providing these services, it operates power generating plants, regulating stations and substations, as well as a network of transmission and distribution lines. Defendant township is located in northern Macomb County and is primarily rural and agricultural. In 1972, plaintiff began planning the Belle River Power Plant in St. Clair County. The proposed plant would consist of two 675-mega-watt units. Plaintiff believed that the existing transmission system would be subject to unacceptably high power…