cubmichigan

Photo of city skyline in Michigan

Michigan Utility Ratepayers Need More Protections During Pandemic

The public health and economic crisis we are all experiencing is like no other in recent history. Such an extreme event requires an extraordinary response. In the world of utilities, all over the country electricity and natural gas suppliers are taking the rare step of suspending disconnections of service for non-payment and waiving late fees […]

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DTE Energy building

Michigan Regulators Approve DTE’s Revised Integrated Resource Plan

The long road for the immediate future of Michigan’s largest utility is over, for now. On April 15, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved a revised version of DTE Energy’s integrated resource plan (IRP), the utility’s plan for the mix of coal, natural gas, solar, wind, energy efficiency and other resources it will use to

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Michigan coastline

First Phase of Upper Peninsula Task Force Complete As Propane Report Is Sent to Governor

The Upper Peninsula Energy Task Force has submitted to Governor Whitmer its formal recommendations on how to avoid a propane crisis in the region, where over 18% of households use propane, primarily for heating, compared to just under 8% for the Lower Peninsula. The final recommendations are very similar to the draft recommendations we discussed in a recent

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UP Task Force Bridge

Recommendations to Governor on Upper Peninsula Energy Issues Poised to be Finalized

The Upper Peninsula Energy Task Force just finished accepting comments on its draft report about how to supply the UP with propane given the possibility of supply disruption. Over 1,000 discrete comments have poured in on the task force’s work since it began, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Director Liesl Eichler

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Shoreline in Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Upper Peninsula Energy Task Force To Soon Address Public Comments On First Report Draft

Public comments have closed on the Upper Peninsula Energy Task Force’s draft report on how to avoid price spikes in propane used across the UP for heating, especially in the case of a Line 5 shutdown. (Links to our previous blog posts are here, here, here, here and the first here. All of the public comments submitted on draft report will be

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Map showing percentage of households with propane in Michigan by county

Upper Peninsula Task Force Releases Draft Report on How to Avoid Propane Price Spikes

Percentage of Households with Propane, Draft of “Analysis of Propane Supply Alternatives for Michigan,” Public Sector Consultants, March 2020 The developing coronavirus crisis shows how everyday life can be upended by low-probability events. In energy, people are always talking about the importance of “resiliency.” Resiliency essentially means a system’s ability to respond to many different

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Reliability report mockup.

Utility Regulatory Measures to Improve Electric Reliability in Michigan – March 2020

This report explores practical solutions to the ongoing problem of poor electric reliability for Michigan utility customers. It evaluates several tools utility regulators can implement to incentivize electric utilities to work to improve their management of the distribution grid for the benefit of customers.

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