DTE faces backlash over $450 million rate hike request amidst soaring inflation

(CBS DETROIT) — DTE wants customers who are already spending more money to keep the lights on and dig even deeper into their wallets.

The utility giant has filed a request with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) for a more than $450 million rate increase .

A handful of frustrated customers and elected leaders protested Wednesday in front of DTE Headquarters. They demand no more rate hikes this year, especially when inflation already has customers pinching pennies.

Anytime lousy weather rolls in, Tomena Rawls-Byrd fears she'll lose power at her Redford Township home because she feels the grid, as it is now, isn't reliable and so when she learned that DTE is seeking a 10% rate hike to improve it , she said she is outraged.

"Absolutely ridiculous; [DTE] want constant increases," Rawls-Byrd said.

We the People Michigan spearheaded Wednesday's protest. One of the organizers told reporters they hadn't seen any service improvements even though MPSC gave DTE a $368 million annual rate increase in December 2023 .

"In August, every year, we have an outage. It's happened for the past four years. We had a big outage last February when 800,000 people were without power. And we're seeing new cities being hit," said Kamau Jawara with We the People Michigan.

Attorney General Dana Nessel says DTE shouldn't get more than $139 million and strongly suggests that money should go toward tree trimming that helps reduce outages instead of expensive hi-tech equipment that DTE prefers to invest in.

Nessel has voiced her opposition to these rate hikes over the years.

"DTE continues to spend millions and millions in political giving donations to legislators and other government officials and advertising," Nessel told CBS News Detroit in March 2023 .

DTE issued the following statement:

"DTE Energy wants what's best for our customers – that means safe, reliable and affordable energy. We're focused on improving reliability across our service territory – reducing power outages by 30% and cutting outage time in half by 2029. This requires investments that will help us build a smarter, stronger and more resilient grid that will serve our customers for generations to come. We know that affordability is key for our customers, so as we invest, we're committed to working as efficiently as possible, keeping residential bills below the national average and providing assistance to our most vulnerable customers."

However, protesters believe the utility prioritizes its shareholders over customers, especially since DTE is approaching a 52-week high on Wall Street.

"I'm tired of the excuses. I think that's what it is just so they could just buy time to make more money," Rawls-Byrd said.

MPSC will ultimately have the final say in how much more customers will pay. Leading up to its decision, there will be public comment sessions.

Protesters say they want those hearings to happen here in Detroit versus in Lansing.

An MPSC representative declined to comment due to this being an active case.