Both the Michigan House and Senate passed Senate Bill 213 and House Bill 5524, with only minor revisions. After many weeks in conference committee, the legislature voted to increase your electric bills by as much as an estimated 30 percent annually, and handed a monopoly back to the two utilities. PA 141 of 2000 enabled competition in the marketplace, keeping rates low.

The Customer Choice Coalition remains committed to participating in the implementation of the new law to ensure energy policy goals are achieved efficiently and at the lowest cost.

Residential Energy Rates Will Climb by 30 percent
According to a recent study by the Senate Fiscal Agency, if the House energy package is passed,
Detroit Edison's residential customers will see, in combination with pending cases,
rates increase by 28-percent and Consumers' by 23-25 percent.

To read the full report, click here.

Mackinac Center Study Finds:
Proposals to Suppress Competition in Michigan's Electricity Market and
Mandate “Renewable Energy” Use Would Raise Prices Without
Improving Service or Environment (study)

New data in: Competition holding down rates, MPSC shows
This data was provided by the MPSC to the Senate committee today. Michigan rate increases for every class - residential, commercial and industrial - increased since passage of OUR competition law by less than U.S. regional, restructured, regulated and 10 largest states. Our law works for customers - regardless of what the utilities are saying.

Customer Choice Coalition Mission Statement
The Customer Choice Coalition is a group of associations, businesses and other organizations supporting the ability of customers to choose from many electric providers when purchasing power. Its members include manufacturers and small businesses, building managers and schools, churches and others who support our current electric restructuring system.

Michigan's electric bills are the highest in the Midwest , and are hurting our state's families, businesses and governments. To help hold down rates, the Customer Choice Coalition supports giving electric customers a choice of many electric providers, just as they have a choice of many telecommunications providers.

Recent News Stories

Electric, natural gas 'energy optimization charge' is a jolt to small businesses
(Grand Rapids Press, June 11, 2009)
Bruce Helder's small factory just got hit with a 52 percent increase in its electric bill.

As of June 1, some Consumers Energy customers who use more than 5,000 kilowatt hours of electricity
per month will pay a $422.23 monthly "energy optimization surcharge."

Small factories such as Helder's Bara Technologies Inc., 3714 Jefferson Ave. SE, will pay the same
$5,066.76 annual fee as larger customers -- unless the Michigan Public Service Commission and
Consumers Energy make good on promises of a change.
(full article)

Businesses suffer with rate increases
(Jackson Citzen Patriot, May 17, 2009)
State regulators gave a break to Consumers Energy's residential customers last week, ordering the utility
to trim an electricity rate increase just before it took effect Thursday.
(full article)

Letter: Say no to Consumers Energy plan
(Grand Rapids Press, May 15, 2009)
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is about to make a decision on whether the approve the renewable
energy plan submitted by Consumers Energy pursuant to the clean energy legislation passed last year by
the state legislature. The PSC should say no to Consumers' pathetic plan.
(full article)

Electric rates going up as usage declines
(Kalamazoo Gazette, May 6, 2009)
Just a few months ago, the Customer Choice Coalition warned Michigan lawmakers the utility-sponsored
effort to rewrite Michigan's electric laws was a huge mistake -- one that would increase Michigan's
already high electric rates, force customers to pay for construction of unneeded new electric plants
and provide only a small amount of renewable power, at unnecessarily high prices to consumers.
(full article)

Editorial: Wrong time for rate hikes
(Grand Rapids Press, April 2, 2009)
Michigan is mired in an economic downturn with the highest unemployment in 25 years. This is not the time
to hit already struggling families with a double-digit rate hike. In the midst of the economic pain and
hardship residents are enduring, such an increase would be unconscionable. Michigan's Public Service
Commission (PSC) should do as its name implies -- serve the public -- by pulling the plug on increases.
(full article)

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