Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

Attorney General Dana Nessel is trying to cut DTE’s new rate hike.

The utility company is seeking an increase of more than $574 million. According to a press release from the Michigan Department of Attorney General, this comes three months after they received approval to increase rates by $217 million from the Michigan Public Service Commission.

Nessel requested that the MSPC slash the rate to 2.5% for Michigan households, a nearly 75% cut.

She included recommendations in her testimony, including prioritizing vegetation management and tree trimming, which she said was more successful in decreasing outages.

“DTE is once again showing us where its priorities lie – and it isn’t with Michigan ratepayers,” Nessel said. “Just months after being granted a $200 million rate hike, DTE is back at the trough demanding half a billion dollars more from its customers. Our thorough review shows that nearly 75% of this proposed hike can’t be demonstrated to meaningfully improve service or do so cost effectively and stands only to enrich millionaire executives and far-flung shareholders. At some point, this endless cycle of rate hike after rate hike from Consumers Energy and DTE must end. Why not now? Michigan ratepayers deserve utility companies that deliver affordable, reliable energy, not ones that treat them like blank checks.”

Nessel’s office has helped save consumers nearly $4 billion by intervening in such utility cases before the MPSC, according to the release. DTE supplies electricity to approximately 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and natural gas to 1.3 million customers around the state.

DTE issued the following response:

"Michigan has a robust regulatory process that ensures stakeholders can provide their input into how the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) sets rates. DTE bills have only grown by 3% in total over the past four years because of our strong focus on controlling our costs and efficiently operating our power plants, and residential bills continue to be below the national average.

"Rate cases support critical investments in the grid and DTE’s work to build the electric grid of the future is showing results. Thanks to the combination of $1.5 billion of investment in the electric grid last year – that allowed us to work our four point plan, including tree trimming – coupled with less extreme weather, our customers experienced a nearly 70% improvement in time spent without power in 2024. We want to build upon this success and meet our commitment to improve electric reliability while maintaining the affordability our customers demand and deserve."