Some Michigan House Democrats are adding onto a plan they’re calling a "Ratepayer Bill of Rights."
The new bills would cap utility profits at a little over 8.2% return on equity, and block power companies from spending revenue from ratepayers on things like lobbying and executive salaries. The package would also require companies to re-evaluate their infrastructure every five years to avoid outages and improve service.
Michael King is with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. He said power companies have made record profits while Michiganders struggle.
“This is about fairness, this is about accountability, and this is about making sure that the next generation actually has a chance of inheriting an energy system that actually works for all the people and not just large corporations,” King said.
The bills join others introduced last year that would increase the credits ratepayers receive for power outages and create winter shutoff protections for homes with children and older adults, among other priorities for supporters.
Those bills haven’t gone anywhere yet in the Republican-controlled Michigan House of Representatives.
On Thursday, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp) cast doubt on the newest bills too. During a press conference Thursday, Hall accused Democrats of raising power costs by passing clean energy requirements when they controlled the Legislature.
“I can see why they’re now nervous and by the way we passed a bill to repeal that law and every single Democrat voted no, except one,” Hall said.
Recent reports have found that in many cases renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels.
Last month, state Representative Peter Herzberg (D-Westland) was the only Democrat to join Republicans in voting to repeal the state’s clean energy standards.
Hall said that repeal vote, along with a plan to offer utilities property tax cuts in exchange for lower rates, made up the House’s proposal to lower energy costs.
“My guess is they’re getting a lot of pressure and so here we are at the 11th hour, they introduce some bill,” Hall said.
State Representative Natalie Price (D-Berkley) said Michiganders want lawmakers to rein in utility companies.
“The people demanding this are the people that we are all accountable to. These are our constituents who are feeling the burden of an unjust system,” Price said.
