Attorney General Dana Nessel is reminding residents of important consumer alerts to avoid additional hardship in advance of weather events.
High winds could result in power outages for some communities, and Nessel is also reissuing her Utility Imposter Scams Consumer Alert. These types of scams often involve a threat to turn off a utility unless the resident pays a certain amount of money in a short amount of time. But scammers can also impersonate a utility company to convince a consumer a utility - like electricity - can be fixed sooner if they pay an additional fee.
Attorney General Nessel wants to collect input from the public on recent power outages to better inform her consumer advocacy before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC).
Recently, she called on the two largest utility companies in the state to prioritize customers who dealt with extended power outages through automatic bill credits instead of an application process and the creation of a fund to assist displaced customers during significant power outages.
You can learn more about those efforts in this Aug. 16 press release.
Have you ever received a call from a utility company claiming that your bill is overdue and if you don’t pay now, your power, heat, or water will be turned off immediately? That is the last thing you want in Michigan’s cold winters or hot summers.
Scammers know this and will pose as utility company employees to trick you into providing money, personal, or financial information.
Utility companies may offer you the option to pay over the phone but will never demand payment over the phone.
MPSC decided that Consumers Energy Company cannot charge electric customers for some of the energy replacement costs incurred by the Company due to its unreasonable and imprudent actions.
Consumers Energy sought a $436 million electric rate increase and AG Nessel filed testimony recommending at least a $275 million reduction based on testimony arguing that there were hundreds of millions of unnecessary and unreasonable capital expenditures, executive incentive compensation programs, among other issues. In March of 2026, the Commission issued its final order reducing Consumers Energy’s rate increase request by $219.1 million. Similarly, for DTE’s $574 million electric rate increase, AG Nessel recommended more than a $400 million reduction based on testimony arguing that DTE was requesting hundreds of millions in projects and programs that were unreasonable. In February of 2026, the Commission issued its final order reducing DTE’s rate increase by $331.6 million. AG Nessel is currently challenging two new electric rate increases by both of these utilities before the Commission.
Learn More About How the AG has Helped Save Michigan Consumers Over $4.6B
