AG Intervenes in Consumers Energy’s Rate Hike Request

AG Intervenes in Consumers Energy’s Rate Hike Request

by | Jun 3, 2025 | Regional News

Michigan Department of Attorney General Press Release banner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 2, 2025

Media Contact:
Danny Wimmer

Attorney General Nessel Intervenes in Consumers Energy’s $436 Million Rate Hike Request

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a notice of intervention (PDF) in Consumers Energy Company’s latest electric rate case (U-21870), the full application for which was filed today (PDF) before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). This follows Consumers’ filed announcement of their intention to hike electric rates (PDF) made in a March filing before the MPSC a mere seven days after their latest electric rate hike was approved. Consumers Energy is seeking an annual rate hike of approximately $436 million (PDF) which, if approved, would take effect in May 2026. It marks the largest electric rate hike the company has proposed during Attorney General Nessel’s time in office and is likely the largest in decades.

This rate hike request comes just two months after the MPSC approved the for-profit company’s $154 million rate hike in March, which took effect upon their customers’ electricity bills on April 4, 2025. In addition to the latest proposed annual rate hike, Consumers Energy is also aiming to recover from their bill-paying customers an additional $24 million in deferred distribution costs through a separate 12-month surcharge. The rate hike alone would increase overall rates by 9.2% and hike household rates by 13.3%.

“Before Consumers Energy, or anyone else for that matter, can even begin to measure any affordability or reliability improvements from their last rate hike, the company is back in business asking to bill their customers an additional $400 million annually. In a troubling continuation of the patterns we see before the MPSC from both Consumers Energy and DTE, this is at least among the largest rate hikes Consumers has ever requested, if not the largest itself,” Nessel said. “When my office alerted the public to Consumers’ announcement of this intended rate hike two months ago, the utility tried to tell their ratepayers we were wrong on the facts or misleading the people of this state. Instead, they’ve done exactly what we knew they would, exactly as their filing indicated in March. My office will thoroughly scrutinize this request and will not be deterred in our fight to protect Michigan ratepayers from corporate greed and endless, increasing rate hikes.”

Attorney General Nessel has intervened in this rate case as she does in all major utility rate cases before the MPSC. The Department of Attorney General’s staff, along with its experts, will carefully scrutinize the filing to ensure customers do not pay any cost that does not have commensurate quantifiable benefits. Recent rate hike requests from DTE and Consumers Energy have included such inappropriate costs as private jet travel for executive staff and other unsupported expenditures that could not be demonstrated to benefit their customers. Additional rate hike cases open before the Commission include DTE’s latest electric rate hike request (U-21860) and Consumers Energy’s natural gas rate hike request (U-21806).

The Attorney General has saved Michigan consumers more than $3.7 billion by intervening in utility cases before the MPSC. Consumers Energy sells electricity to approximately 1.9 million customers throughout Michigan and natural gas to 1.8 million customers across the state.
ONTV Wins 2025 Hometown Media Arts Award

ONTV Wins 2025 Hometown Media Arts Award

by | Jun 3, 2025 | Local News

Orion Neighborhood Television Wins 2025

Hometown Media Arts Award from the

Alliance of Community Media

Foundation

 ONTV took home the Original Film/Drama Award

 Lake Orion ─ May 13, 2025 ─ Orion Neighborhood Television was a recipient of a 2025 Hometown Media Award from the Alliance for Community Media Foundation. The awards program was established to honor and promote community media, community radio, and local cable programs that are distributed on Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) access cable television channels.  Proceeds go to the ACM Foundation which is exclusively used for facilitating, preserving and promoting education in community media.

ONTV was the winner of the Original Film/Drama in the student category for its Wildwood Film Festival submission of “It Just Takes One.” The movie was produced by local filmmakers Andrew Carpenter, Parker Gannon, Ben Redmon and Freddy Velazquez.

“Me and a couple of my close friends came together to create this short film as an entry for the Wildwood Film Festival,” said Andrew Carpenter. “Four years ago, we felt the impact in our community during the Oxford High School tragedy and we wanted to try and flip this horrible situation into something that can give people hope and bring people together. We are so happy our film was named as the Best Original Film/Drama in the student category for the Hometown Media Awards.”

Each year, nearly one thousand entries are submitted. These entries, or programs, are submitted and evaluated on several factors resulting in over 100 award winners. A panel of over 150 judges from the industry evaluate the entries. Awards are presented to the most creative programs that address community needs, develop diverse community involvement, challenge conventional commercial television formats, and move viewers to experience television in a different way.

“The Hometown Media Awards celebrate both the excellence of work and the diversity of media that appears on community channels being produced around the country. The ACM Foundation is proud of their achievement and of how they represent their communities in their work,” said Mike Wassenaar, President & CEO, Alliance for Community Media.
                                                                       ###

About the Alliance for Community Media (www.allcommunitymedia.org)

Founded in 1979, the Alliance for Community Media is a national, non-profit membership organization committed to ensuring access to electronic media for all people.  The Alliance for Community Media carries forth its mission by educating, advocating and acting as a resource for the more than 3,000 Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) cable channels nationwide.

Contact: Orion Neighborhood Television │ontv@orionontv.org │248.393.1060|

Baseball Regional Preview

Baseball Regional Preview

by | Jun 3, 2025 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Baseball Regional Preview.

Written Saturday May 31st at 6:40 PM

Here is the baseball regional preview.

HARPER WOODS vs St. Clair Shores Lake Shore @ Hazel Park

The Pioneers are back into the super regional after dominating their two respective opponents in St. Clair Shores South Lake and Detroit Southeastern by a combined 32-0. The Shorians have been dominant in their district winning it for the first time in 15 years by outscoring Hazel Park, Warren Lincoln, and Center Line by a combined 49-3. The winner will take on either Orchard Lake St. Marys or Dearborn Divine Child in the regional final at St. Clair Community College in Port Huron. This should be a really interesting matchup in Hazel Park.

LAKE ORION vs Port Huron Northern @ Rochester

The Dragons have had ton of bad luck lately but they managed to survive tense dramas against Rochester and Adams winning 2-1 and 7-4 respectably in the districts. Lake Orion will be back at Rochester against Port Huron Northern. The Huskies upset New Baltimore Anchor Bay 3-0 in the district finals winning their first district crown in eight years. The winner will see either Fenton or Davison in the regional final in Grand Blanc. This should be a really interesting matchup.

GROVES vs Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit @ Groves

The Falcons won their district outscoring both Warren Mott and Royal Oak by a combined 16-2. They will be back at home taking on a Cubs team that won their district pretty handily. It will be a really tough matchup for Groves going up against a really good Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit team. The winner will play Grosse Pointe South or Detroit Western in the regional final at Brownstown Woodhaven.

WEST BLOOMFIELD vs Lakeland @ West Bloomfield

The Lakers had no issues winning their district winning over Walled Lake Central in a hard fought 5-4 game and then won 2-0 over Walled Lake Western. They get Lakeland in a really interesting matchup. The Eagles had to survive a pitchers duel winning 1-0 over Waterford Kettering and had no problem with Walled Lake Northern winning 10-0. This should be a really interesting matchup in the Swamp. The winner will take on either defending State Champion Northville or Plymouth in the regional final at Novi.

Baseball Regional Preview

Girls Soccer Regional Preview

by | Jun 3, 2025 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Girls Soccer Regional Preview.

Written Saturday May 31st at 6:24 PM

Here is the regional preview for Girls Soccer.

Region Two @ Grand Blanc

Brighton vs Northville

This is a really interesting matchup of two KLAA West foes. Northville has been solid all season long but they have not been able to solve Brighton. The Bulldogs beat the Mustangs 2-0 early into the season and 4-3 a few weeks ago. It’s always hard to beat a team three times which Brighton has that opportunity to do. This should be a really interesting matchup.

OXFORD vs Hartland

The Wildcats stunned the district with upsets of Davison, Lake Orion, and Clarkston. Hartland ended the unbeaten streak of Bloomfield Hills with a 2-1 win over the Blackhawks. Oxford is battle tested having faced a strong Red schedule but the Eagles bring a different challenge. This should be a really interesting matchup.

SAMMY PICK: I don’t see anyone beating Hartland in this district. Give me the Eagles moving on.

Region Four @ Rochester

BERKLEY vs Macomb Dakota

This round is very new for both of these teams. The Cougars won a really tight district that had New Baltimore Anchor Bay and won over Chippewa Valley. The Bears went through the White but this is very much new for them in this round. It should be a really interesting matchup to see which team meets up against a proven State power in the regional finals.

TROY ATHENS vs Utica Eisenhower

This will be a fun matchup between two State powers that have been ranked all season. Utica Eisenhower is riding with a ton of confidence coming into this game as Coach Merhdad Nekoogar got his 300th career win as head coach with a 3-0 district final win over Adams. Troy Athens has been a powerhouse for a long time. The Red Hawks had to survive arch rival Troy in penalty kicks. The Eagles as mentioned went through the city of Rochester beating Stoney Creek, Rochester, and Adams becoming the defacto Rochester city champs. This game could go to penalty kicks.

SAMMY PICK: The winner of the Troy Athens/Utica Eisenhower semifinal matchup should win this regional. I think Troy Athens has been there done that. I trust the Red Hawks.

Baseball Regional Preview

Oak Park dominants as Girls Track and Field State Champs

by | Jun 3, 2025 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Oak Park dominants as Division One Girls Track and Field State Champs.

Written Saturday May 31st at 6:15 PM

The Knights dominance in girls track and field continues.

Oak Park won the Division One State crown in girls track and field for the fourth straight year scoring 86 points on Saturday afternoon at East Kentwood winning their ninth State Crown in 11 seasons.

The Knights scored 23 points in the 400 meter dash and won three of the four relays along with scoring 21 points in the 100 and 300 hurdles respectably.

West Bloomfield took fourth behind the sprinting of Kamryn Tatum who won the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

Ellie Mendoza finished second in the discus for Rochester who tied for eighth with 21 points.

Farmington tied for 26th with 7.5 points, Royal Oak was tied for 37th with four points from thrower Jada Ewell in the discus, and Adams along with Oxford were tied for 45th with two points each.

On the boys side at East Kentwood, Oak Park tied for fourth with 28 points while Clarkston was 13th with 19 points, Groves was 16th with 15 points behind the discus win from Ray Glory Ejoyokah, Troy and Adams tied for 24th with nine points, West Bloomfield was tied for 33rd with six points, Troy Athens and Stoney Creek behind Spencer Beckeman was tied for 41st with four points, and Bloomfield Hills was tied for 53rd with two points.

In Division Two at Hamilton, Harper Woods boys tied for 18th with 10 points and Ferndale tied for 56th with two points. In the girls Ferndale was tied for 49th with three points.

Overall it was a great day on the track for the OAA. Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.