In her role as an advocate for Michigan ratepayers, Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a notice of intervention last Friday in Consumers Energy Co.’s request to raise its electric rates, which comes just months after the company received approval for a $90.2 million rate increase from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC).
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, my office took price-gouging very seriously to protect residents from being taken advantage of, and we will maintain that effort now to protect ratepayers as well,” Nessel said. “Families should not have to choose between paying exorbitant utility bills or paying for their rent, medicine, food, clothing and for other essential things. My office will intervene in this rate case and scrutinize this request to determine whether the proposed benefits truly justify the costs to Michigan consumers.”
Consumers Energy received a $90.2 million rate increase from the MPSC less than three months ago. The utility company is now seeking another $225 million increase in annual rates, which would represent an increase of nearly 9% annually for residential customers.
With the assistance of her expert witnesses, the attorney general will closely examine Consumers’ request and argue against any cost increases that are not reasonable and prudent or beneficial to the company’s customers.
The attorney general’s intervention in Consumers Energy’s last electric rate case helped to save electric customers nearly $154 million, which represented a savings of more than 60% from the company’s originally requested rate increase. Her intervention in this new case represents her continued commitment to advocate on behalf of Michigan’s utility customers.
Consumers Energy provides electricity to approximately 1.9 million customers in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
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