April 8th, 2024

AG Nessel has once again intervened in a case involving the Upper Peninsula Utility Company (UPCO). In a request proposed to the Michigan Public Service Commission, UPCO has requested a permanent waiver from needing to provide outage credits to their customers during “catastrophic conditions”, which is anytime 10% or more of their customers are out of power or when there is a declared emergency. This waiver would also allow UPCO to count multiple power outages as one, further reducing the number of outage credits they would be required to refund customers for. 

Last year, Attorney General Nessel fought hard to update MPSC service quality rules to require utilities like UPCO, DTE Energy, and Consumers Energy to issue automatic outage credits to customers if they experience 6 or more outages within a 12-month period. This was a small win for Michigan residents, who experience some of the highest number of outages and highest costs for their energy rates in the country. In fact, outage credits should increase and expand – to the point where they operate not only to compensate consumers fairly for outages, but where they act as an incentive for utilities to meaningfully improve grid reliability.  

Michigan LCV has given this intervention a score of two, as she continues to fight to hold utilities like UPCO accountable and ensure they are not excused from providing customers with unreliable service.  AG Nessel’s rate case interventions have resulted indirectly in savings into ratepayers’ pockets.  We love her posture, and want to see even more of it. 

Read more about the AG’s interventions with UPCO here:>>> AG Intervenes in UP Power Case Saving Michigander’s Money and Reducing Pollution – Weight 1

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