Michigan AG Looking Into DTE Energy's Latest Request For Gas Hike

MICHIGAN — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is looking into DTE Energy's latest request for a gas hike, according to the attorney's general office.

The utility asked the Michigan Public Service Commission for a $266 million annual increase in gas rates, which would make nearly a 10 percent increase for residential customers.

Nessel's office will carefully examine the utility's request and will argue against any increases in cost that are not reasonable and tailored to provide benefits to DTE’s customers, according to the attorney's general office.

"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. "This is yet another in a continuing string of multi-hundred-million-dollar cases brought by the company."

DTE Energy said its last request was in 2021 and it's the first step in a long process to plan ahead for investments to better serve natural gas to its customers in southeast, northern and mid-Michigan.

"DTE Gas has not requested a base rate increase since February of 2021, meaning that when the MPSC makes its decision as late as November 2024, DTE Gas customers will have not seen a base rate increase in about three years. DTE shares a mutual interest with the Michigan Public Service Commission in safely delivering energy to our natural gas customers, who reside in southeast, northern and mid-Michigan. This filing is just the first step in a ten-month process to determine how much the company can continue investing to replace more than 4,000 miles of aging, cast-iron pipes; manage double-digit inflation on the costs it pays for pipes, meters and other materials; and deliver on our promise of safe service while keeping energy affordable for customers."

Nessel's actions come after state officials approved the utility's request for a $368 million electric rate increase last December. The increase went into effect immediately. The utility said the hike would likely only increase a customer's bill by less than $3.

Nessel intervened in DTE's last gas rate case in 2021 and saved customers more than $110 million, according to the attorney's general office.