Nessel seeks to reduce Consumers Energy's natural gas rate increase request by 75%

On Monday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed testimony before the Michigan Public Service Commission seeking a 75% reduction to Consumers Energy’s requested rate increase and an elimination of its requested increase to residential monthly service charges.

On December 15, 2022, Consumers Energy filed a request with the Commission seeking a $212 million rate increase as well as a $2.00 increase in its residential monthly service charge. If approved by the Commission, residential customers’ rates would increase by 7.8% in addition to the $2 a month increase in the monthly service charge.  

Nessel is advocating to reduce Consumers Energy’s rate increase from $212 million to $52.3 million, and to eliminate any increase in the residential monthly service charge. Nessel also seeks to limit any increase for residential customers to less than 2% as well as similarly reducing any increase for Consumers Energy’s small commercial and industrial customers.

“I have said it before and it continues to be true, Michigan residents are facing enormous pressure as their heating bills consume more and more of their household income,” said Nessel. “My filed response explains that Consumers Energy should learn to cut costs in its own budget just as customers have had to cut costs in theirs to accommodate these climbing energy costs.”

Following responses filed by various parties before the Commission today, Consumers Energy will file its rebuttal on May 8. A hearing before the Commission is set to begin on May 22 and a final order from the Commission is expected around October of this year.