CUB Statement on Approval of Settlement Concluding Consumers Energy Electric Rate Case
Consumers Energy electric ratepayers will save millions due to a lower rate increase won through a settlement agreement struck between the company and intervening groups including the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, the Michigan Attorney General and many others. The settlement, which was approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) today (Jan. 19), also includes provisions that will require Consumers Energy to take important steps on improving reliability, allowing customers to adopt distributed energy and better considering environmental justice issues (Case U-21224).
"As a result of this settlement agreement, Consumers Energy must make important progress toward using ratepayer dollars more efficiently. That includes steps to prevent power outages before they happen," CUB Executive Director Amy Bandyk said. "Michigan utility customers pay some of the highest rates in the country for some of the worst electric service in the country. Settlement agreements like this one can put us on a path to turning this situation around."
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Press Release: New Annual Report Shows Michigan Utilities Low Ranking on Key Measures of Reliability and Affordability
Michigan utilities continue to lag behind utilities in the rest of the country and offer less reliable service to customers at a higher price, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Michigan’s newly-released 2022 Utility Performance Report reveals.
This summer saw more severe power outages, but also an inspiring response from utility customers, particularly customers of DTE in Detroit, who protested further rate increases in light of the terrible electric service they have been receiving. The 2022 Utility Performance Report, as a scorecard that compares Michigan utilities to peers nationwide on key performance criteria like reliability and affordability, provides context to this situation.
Read moreCUB in the News: DTE customers will see rate increases go into effect Friday, but far lower than the company had been hoping for
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CUB in the News: Michigan regulators reject most of DTE’s rate increase following public pushback
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CUB Statement on MPSC Decision in DTE Electric Rate Case U-20836
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Michigan applauds Michigan regulators for its order on Nov. 18 that stands up for residential ratepayers by cutting DTE Electric’s most recent rate increase by over 90% compared to what the utility originally requested.
Earlier this year, DTE filed a rate case with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) asking for an additional $388 million in revenue, which would have translated to an 8.8% increase in the rates paid by residential customers. The request was later revised down slightly to about $367 million, but would still have represented another entry in a series of rate hikes over the past few years that pushed a greater and greater burden of the utility’s costs onto customers, and, in particular, residential customers, compared to commercial and industrial classes.
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