Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wants to reduce DTE Energy's 10% rate hike to less than 3%

(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed testimony arguing that the DTE Energy rate hike for residents should be under 3%.

In March, DTE Energy filed a request to the Michigan Public Service Commission seeking an annual increase in revenues of $456.4 million.

This came less than four months after the electric company received a $368 million annual rate increase, which caused a 10% rate hike for residents, according to a release from Nessel's office.

Nessel argued in her testimony that DTE Energy should not receive an annual increase of more than $139.5 million, limiting the ratepayer increase to about 2.5%.

She also says that funds from customers should be put toward "vegetation management and tree trimming, activities proven to be more effective at reducing outages compared to more expensive, capital-intensive options preferred by DTE."

"A deep dive into DTE's latest electric rate case reveals a disturbing pattern of exaggerated projections and unsubstantiated projects that clearly prioritize corporate interests over customer benefits," Nessel said. "DTE is once again seeking MPSC approval to bill its customers for corporate jet travel by executives on top of these inflated costs. Such exorbitant expenditures not only inflate customers' bills but also undermine DTE's corporate pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These unnecessary costs directly contribute to rising utility bills."

DTE Energy sells electricity to about 2.3 million people in Southeast Michigan and natural gas to about 1.3 million across the state.