Nessel intervenes on DTE’s request to hike gas rates

BY KYLE DAVIDSON, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

MICHIGAN—Attorney General Dana Nessel has intervened in DTE’s latest request to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to increase its natural gas rates, voicing concerns on the company’s repeated requests for rate increases.

DTE is one of the state’s largest energy providers, providing natural gas to more than 1 million households, and electricity to more than 2 million people in Southeast Michigan. The company has come under fire, particularly after an ice storm last winter, over reliability issues.

The company’s previous natural gas rate case was approved in December 2021, resulting in a $3.18 increase to the average residential customer’s monthly bill.

In its most recent request, the company has asked for a $266 million annual increase to its gas rates, an increase of almost 10% for customers. In a statement, the Attorney General’s Office said Nessel would review the case alongside expert witnesses and argue against any increases that are unreasonable or are not tailored to benefit DTE customers.

“We will approach DTE’s latest gas rate increase request as we have every one that has come before it, and work to ensure that natural gas costs are affordable for our state’s utility customers,” Nessel said in the statement.

“This is yet another in a continuing string of multi-hundred-million-dollar cases brought by the company. … I remain concerned about the clear pattern of repeated rate increases that come before the Commission, one right after the last,” Nessel said.

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This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.