Residents, advocacy groups and a state lawmaker rallied outside a Michigan Public Service Commission meeting in Detroit on Thursday, May 29, protesting yet another DTE Energy request to raise electricity rates for the fourth time in five years.
The rally, held at 5 p.m. outside Cadillac Place on West Grand Boulevard, preceded a 6-8 p.m. town hall-style meeting hosted by the commission. Inside, state regulators gathered feedback from the public on how to make proceedings more accessible and interactive, though many attendees came with a different priority: stopping the rate hike.
Proposed rate hike would raise bills by $13.50 a month
The commission is currently reviewing DTE’s proposal to raise rates by $574 million, more than double what the company was granted just months ago. If approved, the average customer’s monthly bill would increase by $13.50.
“These rate increases are really choking our people,” said Roslyn Ogburn, a fourth-generation Detroiter and partnership coordinator for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “We’re telling the Michigan Public Service Commission to stop the rate increase and come up with better solutions. Do not put another burden on the back of the people.”…