Metro Detroiters frustrated by power outages speak out

Metro Detroiters expressed their frustrations over power outages and poor reliability from their utility company during a town hall on Monday evening.

More than 80 people attended the town hall at Fordson High School in Dearborn, organized by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), the regulatory agency overseeing public utilities. Power outages swept through metro Detroit in late February and early March, following a rare ice storm and winter thundersnow. About 700,000 customers were left without power and DTE and Consumers Energy have come under scrutiny.

"When the power goes out, people lose," said MPSC Commissioner Katherine Peretick. "They lose the ability to stay warm in the winter or cool in the summer. They lose food ... we're working diligently to make sure that we identify the root of the problems that are facing our electric grid."

More:Michigan lawmakers, residents grill DTE, Consumers over power outages from recent storms

More:Michigan regulators to hold hearings on power outages

Why customers are outraged

Diane McLean, 72, of Dearborn, lost power for five days and stayed in her house as long as she could. Hotels and motels were full and expensive.

"I was freezing," McLean, who is retired and on a fixed income, said. She said she lost food in her refrigerator. DTE, she said, told her she would receive a $35 credit within 90 days, but to her, that's a long time to wait. She is behind on her bills and it's been a "struggle."

Louella Pizzuti, 60, of Detroit's Brightmoor neighborhood, said that while she loses food during power outages, there are others who are more vulnerable and risk their lives.

Tera Holcomb, who lives near Eastern Market, said she has dealt with several outages since May of 2022. She lost power Monday, although it has been restored.

"Ninety percent of the outages that my neighborhood has suffered, there was no storm. It was a nice day … the sun was shining," Holcomb, 50, said.

Utilities under scrutiny

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, said her constituents lost food and dealt with medical crises.

"People were scared and there was real danger," Dingell said at the town hall.

Last week, Michigan lawmakers grilled executives from DTE and Consumers Energy, questioning whether DTE's $35 outage credit was enough to address the items customers lost and why Consumers offered the minimum credit amount of $25.

In early February, before the power outages, DTE requested a rate increase of $622 million, which — if approved — would amount to an extra $12.46 a month for residential customers.

DTE, according to a filing, said it needs the extra revenue to recover its investments, "to support DTE’s carbon reduction plans and the State’s goals for cleaner energy, and the electric distribution system, to improve power reliability, as well as the associated depreciation and property tax increases."

Last fall, the MPSC approved a $30.5 million rate hike from DTE. The company had originally asked for $388 million.

In January, the commission approved a $155 million rate increase for Consumers electric customers — a 43% decrease from what the company initially sought.

What's next

A virtual town hall is slated to take place through Microsoft Teams from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. For more information on how to participate, go to https://bit.ly/MPSCVirtualTownhall.

The MPSC is accepting written comments by email at mpscedockets@michigan.gov and by mail to Executive Secretary, Michigan Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 30221, Lansing, MI 48909.

The commission said it is looking into what is causing repeat outages and pushing utilities to reduce how long and often customers lose power. The MPSC, in a news release, said it is directing utilities to step up tree trimming and is preparing to launch an independent, third-party audit of DTE and Consumers' electric distribution systems to pinpoint shortcomings, best practices and areas that require more investment. Preliminary findings are expected before the end of the year and a final report in 2024.

Free Press staff writer Arpan Lobo contributed to this report.

Nushrat Rahman covers issues related to economic mobility for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA.

Contact Nushrat: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Follow her on Twitter: @NushratR.