Michigan Lawmakers Introduce Utility Accountability Package to Lower Energy Bills

Contact: Emily Halvorson

Today, Michigan legislators introduced legislation to lower energy bills and protect families and small businesses from runaway monopoly utility costs. The new package would place a ceiling on the profit margins that utilities like DTE and Consumers Energy can collect through rate hikes, saving the average Michigan household $267 between 2027 and 2030. The legislation would also bar companies from passing on the costs of political lobbying, PR campaigns, and executive perks to customers, and mandate independent audits of utility distribution systems every five years to improve reliability. 

In response, Evergreen Action State Advocacy Director Courtney Brady released the following statement:

“Michigan families shouldn’t be treated like an ATM for monopoly utilities. For too long, customers have been asked to pay higher and higher bills while utility companies continue to collect outsized profits with little accountability for where ratepayer dollars go—all while blocking more customer-owned clean energy from getting online. Too much of what shows up on monthly bills has nothing to do with keeping the lights on. 

“This legislation rests on a simple principle: if utilities want to charge customers more, they have to prove every dollar is justified. Other states have adopted similar consumer protections to deliver real savings, and Michigan should do the same. By putting reasonable limits on excessive profits and strengthening oversight, Michigan lawmakers can help ensure energy bills reflect the cost of providing reliable service—not the cost of maximizing shareholder returns.”

Earlier this year, Evergreen Collaborative and NRDC released modeling from Synapse Energy Economics on policies Michigan leaders can take to lower energy costs for Michigan households, including utility accountability policies included in today’s package. You can read the full analysis here.