Michigan AG seeking reduction in Consumers Energy's proposed rate increase
(CBS DETROIT) — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a notice of intervention opposing Consumers Energy's proposed rate hike.
The utility company recently proposed a $303 million annual increase, or 6.5%, which would go into effect in March 2025 if approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission. This comes three months after MPSC approved Consumers' latest increase of $92 million, which went into effect in March 2024.
The company is also seeking an additional $21.8 million to recover deferred distribution expenditures. If approved, the total annual rate increase would jump from 6.5% to 7% between March 2025 and February 2026.
In response, Nessel said she is seeking to have the proposed hike reduced.
"Our intervention in these cases is vital to ensuring corporate utilities aren't successful in their efforts to stuff unjustifiable costs into their rate hike requests," Nessel said in a statement. "There are standards concerning what costs Consumers Energy, DTE, and our other utility companies are allowed to pile onto their customers' bills in their rates and other charges. My office is working diligently to hold the utilities accountable and keep unjustified expenses off the monthly bills of ratepayers."
Nessel also opposes DTE Energy's latest rate increase, calling the proposed $266 million hike "excessive and unnecessary." She is pushing for DTE to receive no more than $112.2 million, which would represent a 4% increase.
"We're winning significant cuts to proposed bill increases when we make our case before the Commission," Nessel said. "We will continue putting resources into scouring these rate hike requests to defend Michigan bill-payers in every rate case before the MPSC."