Michigan regulators ask lawmakers to end annual rate hikes, change how DTE, Consumers make money

Planet Detroit

by Nina Misuraca Ignaczak

August 13, 2026

Michigan’s utility regulator told state lawmakers that legislation ending the cycle of yearly rate increases and rewriting the way utilities earn profit would do more for household energy bills than anything the commission can do on its own. Regulators say the system pushes DTE and Consumers toward expensive capital projects and away from cheaper options like maintenance and better use of existing infrastructure.