(WWJ) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants utilities in Michigan to pay more to residents who lose power for an extended period of time.
Sending out letters on Friday, Whitmer called on DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, and Indiana Michigan Power to take "immediate action" to help Michigan families dealing with lengthy blackouts.
That action, she said, should come in the form of automatic credits to customer accounts.
While Whitmer did not specify exactly how much money should be paid out, she said the amount should increase.
"This summer, Michiganders have been dealing with extreme weather events that led to lengthy power outages and repeated flooding,” said Whitmer. “More than 750,000 Michiganders lost power over the last few weeks, with some outages lasting up to a week on some of the hottest days of the year. Outages like these lead to fridges full of spoiled food, interfere with life-saving medical equipment, disrupt the workday, and exacerbate the dangers of unmitigated hot weather. We need tangible, immediate action from Michigan’s three largest utility companies to ensure the production and delivery of affordable, reliable energy to every family, community, and small business.”
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Whitmer is also asking for action to reduce disruptions to power by increasing tree trimming and other grid-hardening practices.
These extra investments, she said, should be financed by the company, rather than customers, as safe, dependable energy is key to a high quality of life and strong economic growth.
The state’s electric grid must be up to the task so families, communities, and small businesses across Michigan can keep the lights on, Whitmer's office said, in a release.
The governor also encourages the Michigan Public Service Commission to prevent utilities from recovering outage-related costs from customers; require utilities to develop more extensive emergency preparedness plans; and speed up the adoption of rules that will increase grid security and reliability.
Over the last two years, Whitmer's office said the State of Michigan has taken steps to boost reliability and study the electric grid. This includes work to implement the recommendations identified in the 2019 Statewide Energy Assessment and the MI Power Grid initiative. However, she said a lot more needs to be done.
The letters can be read here:
Utility Outage Letter to CEOs.pdf
Utility Letter_Outages_MPSC.pdf
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