As Michigan regulators unveil recommendations for lowering energy costs, advocates urge action

The Michigan Public Service Commission, at Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's request, proposed shifting utilities to multi-year rate plans instead of annual increase requests, tying utility earnings to performance, and expanding competition to lower costs. The suggestions target unnecessary spending and utilities' preference for capital investment over affordability measures.

Clean energy and consumer advocates welcomed the recommendations but warned they mean nothing without legislative follow-through, pointing to a stalled 'Ratepayer Bill of Rights' package that would compensate residents for outages and restrict utilities from using ratepayer money on executive pay or lobbying. House Republicans, meanwhile, have countered with a plan to repeal the state's 2023 clean energy mandates, blaming affordability problems on those requirements rather than utility practices.

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