By Liz Nass
Gongwer News Service
Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a notice of intervention Monday against Consumers Energy Company’s application for an annual rate hike of $436 million, which Nessel says is likely the largest in decades.
Nessel said in a statement that the rate hike would increase overall rates by 9.2 percent and household rates 13.3 percent.
If approved by the Public Service Commission , the hike would take effect in May 2026. The last rate hike was approved in March for $154 million.
Nessel said Consumers Energy was “back in business” asking customers to pay more annually before they can measure how the last rate hike affected their finances and called the request “a troubling continuation (of) patterns.”
“My office will thoroughly scrutinize this request and will not be deterred in our fight to protect Michigan ratepayers from corporate greed and endless, increasing rate hikes,” Nessel said.
Consumers spokesperson Brian Wheeler said in a statement about the criticism from Nessel that their request for another rate hike was part of the plan to “delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy” to homes and businesses as well as following their Reliability Roadmap that ensured less and shorter power outages.
“Our request to the MPSC is part of that plan, proposing major investments in line clearing and technology across all communities we serve to support our long-term goal that no customer will go more than 24 hours without power,” Wheeler said in a statement. “We understand many of our customers struggle to pay bills, and we are dedicated to the people who count on us for energy. We will continue to provide assistance and programs that help people reduce their energy use, pay bills and stay safe in their homes.”
This is not the first time Nessel has intervened in a rate request. In April, she pushed back on a move by the company to seek a new increase in rates when the utility had just been approved for the March rate hike a week prior. Nessel emphasized that under state law, a utility can file rate cases every 12 months, and the June 2 date of intended application for a new increase would be 366 days since the last application.
When Consumers Energy was asked about this on April 1, Wheeler said the “attorney general was wrong on the facts” and that her statement was misleading,” and that Consumers did not intend to file a rate request sooner than June 2.
“When my office alerted the public to Consumers’ announcement of this intended rate hike two months ago, the utility tried to tell their ratepayers we were wrong on the facts or misleading the people of this state,” Nessel said. “Instead, they’ve done exactly what we knew they would, exactly as their filing indicated in March.”
Wheeler declined to comment further on Monday on the comment he had made that Nessel had been misleading and said he would leave it at what he said in his past statement in April.
Gongwer News Service
Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a notice of intervention Monday against Consumers Energy Company’s application for an annual rate hike of $436 million, which Nessel says is likely the largest in decades.
Nessel said in a statement that the rate hike would increase overall rates by 9.2 percent and household rates 13.3 percent.
If approved by the Public Service Commission , the hike would take effect in May 2026. The last rate hike was approved in March for $154 million.
Nessel said Consumers Energy was “back in business” asking customers to pay more annually before they can measure how the last rate hike affected their finances and called the request “a troubling continuation (of) patterns.”
“My office will thoroughly scrutinize this request and will not be deterred in our fight to protect Michigan ratepayers from corporate greed and endless, increasing rate hikes,” Nessel said.
Consumers spokesperson Brian Wheeler said in a statement about the criticism from Nessel that their request for another rate hike was part of the plan to “delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy” to homes and businesses as well as following their Reliability Roadmap that ensured less and shorter power outages.
“Our request to the MPSC is part of that plan, proposing major investments in line clearing and technology across all communities we serve to support our long-term goal that no customer will go more than 24 hours without power,” Wheeler said in a statement. “We understand many of our customers struggle to pay bills, and we are dedicated to the people who count on us for energy. We will continue to provide assistance and programs that help people reduce their energy use, pay bills and stay safe in their homes.”
This is not the first time Nessel has intervened in a rate request. In April, she pushed back on a move by the company to seek a new increase in rates when the utility had just been approved for the March rate hike a week prior. Nessel emphasized that under state law, a utility can file rate cases every 12 months, and the June 2 date of intended application for a new increase would be 366 days since the last application.
When Consumers Energy was asked about this on April 1, Wheeler said the “attorney general was wrong on the facts” and that her statement was misleading,” and that Consumers did not intend to file a rate request sooner than June 2.
“When my office alerted the public to Consumers’ announcement of this intended rate hike two months ago, the utility tried to tell their ratepayers we were wrong on the facts or misleading the people of this state,” Nessel said. “Instead, they’ve done exactly what we knew they would, exactly as their filing indicated in March.”
Wheeler declined to comment further on Monday on the comment he had made that Nessel had been misleading and said he would leave it at what he said in his past statement in April.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
