Groups to rally ahead of Michigan Public Service Commission meeting in Detroit

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7 days ago

Advocacy groups — and a state representative — are planning to raise concerns about the Michigan Public Service Commission and proposed utility rate hikes at a rally Thursday in Detroit, an hour before the regulatory agency's meeting.
The rally is set to start at 5 p.m. at Cadillac Place, 3022 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit, where the commission's town hall-style meeting is scheduled as part of an ongoing, legally required process of looking at ways the commission can improve public participation in proceedings.
The meeting, set for 6-8 p.m., in Room L-150, is expected to include all three commissioners, chair Dan Scripps, Katherine Peretick and Alessandra Carreon, as well as staff, who are expected to be on hand to hear the public's ideas.
The Michigan League of Conservation Voters, the non-partisan political environmental organization which announced the rally on Wednesday, said the rally is an opportunity to "voice concerns about utility rates" and other issues.
"Rallygoers will speak out about high energy bills, poor reliability and the powerful influence monopoly utility companies DTE and Consumers Energy hold in Lansing," the league said, adding the aim is to "call out the outsized influence of utility companies on lawmakers, high rates, poor reliability and the need to better hold them accountable."
In addition to its members, the league said it is expecting representatives from Clean Water Action, Detroit Action, Michigan United Action, Voters Not Politicians, and State Rep. Donavan McKinney, D-Detroit, who is also running for Congress, at the rally.
McKinney, who has been critical of DTE's spending on advertising as unnecessary because it is a virtual monopoly and executive benefits, told the Free Press he is concerned about the rate increase proposal. He also, he said, is working on legislation to continue to require the commission to be more accessible by holding meetings outside Lansing.
"I'll be there for a little bit today," he said Thursday, adding that an increase in utility bills is too burdensome to his constituents. "We just want to see the commission hold our utilities accountable."
Scripps, who spoke to the Free Press on Wednesday, said he was unaware of the rally, but welcomed the chance to engage with Michiganders in person or by phone, email or mail to hear concerns, complaints or answer questions.
Over the last few years, he added, the commission has tried to do more to be accessible to Michiganders, including holding meetings throughout the state in cities outside Lansing that would be more convenient for people to attend.
Other groups, he said, have used commission meetings as an opportunity to organize.
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There is no set agenda for the meeting other than remarks from the commissioners, representatives from the attorney general's office and the Utility Consumer Participation Board, and depending on turnout, group conversations, a commission spokesman said.
The commissioners are appointed by the governor to staggered terms.
DTE rate hikes are on the minds of utility customers because the commission is in the process of reviewing a rate hike of $574 million, more than twice what it granted DTE just months ago — and, if approved, it would result in higher electricity bills for customers.
Scripps said the commission will review DTE's request, line by line.
Some Michiganders, including Michigan's attorney general, have questioned the rate increases and whether additional revenue will benefit customers or is aimed at improving the bottom line to make the company more attractive to investors.
"At some point, we have to ask how long utility companies like DTE and Consumers Energy will be allowed to treat customer bills and our energy rates like a blank check," Nessel said in an April press release. "My office will carefully scrutinize this rate hike request."
In separate investigations, the Free Press has scrutinized the commission. One report in late 2023 looked into whether the commission and the utilities it regulates were too cozy. Last year, another reported on how the agency handled consumer complaints.
Critics of the commission said its little-known formal complaint process for resolving grievances with a public utility was intimidating and difficult to navigate and placed the burden of proof on the consumer.
Scripps, who is an attorney, explained that the commission, like any government organization, seeks to balance various competing perspectives and interests, including those between the public and the utilities.
In addition, Scripps said, in an effort to be fair, the commission is required to follow nuanced rules that can limit some conversations with parties outside the formal process on issues the commission is deciding.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Groups to rally ahead of Michigan Public Service Commission town hall