September 1st, 2019

This summer Attorney General Nessel took multiple actions to hold utility companies accountable to the consumers they serve. AG Nessel intervened in Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) and rate cases with several major utility companies, urging DTE, SEMCO, I&M and Consumers to ensure that affordable and renewable energy were the top goals of each utility company. AG Nessel also addressed a letter to the Michigan Public Service Commission, asking that the PSC consider affordability and energy reliability for consumers in all decisions. These interventions have paid off for our state. AG Nessel was not only successful in lowering rates for DTE customers, but instrumental in steering the most recent Consumers Energy IRP to include provisions for renewable energy: “ This groundbreaking case moves Michigan to the forefront of reducing carbon emissions and promoting renewable and reliable energy,” Nessel said. “It also goes a long way to preserve and protect our state’s environment and provide a cleaner future for generations to come.”

On August 30, AG Nessel doubled down on her commitment to hold utility companies accountable by backing an appeal against DTE Energy by The Sierra Club & Michigan Environmental Council. The appeal states that DTE used the approval of their Blue Water Energy Center Project to justify the approval of the Nexus Pipeline by reserving 10% of the pipeline’s capacity. According to AG Nessel and the environmental community, this represents a conflict of interest, especially as DTE intends to raise consumer rates by over $70 million over the next 5 years to help subsidize the construction of the pipeline. Effectively, this means that DTE used each of these projects to justify each other, and lock our state into continued investment into dirty fossil fuels that are not explicitly needed to guarantee energy stability. 

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