Say No to Rate Hikes

A recent news article noted Michigan’s residential power rates are among the highest in the Midwest.  Despite this, DTE and Consumers Energy are once again requesting large rate hikes, claiming they need the money to update our grid and transition to cleaner power sources.

In 2024, the CEO of DTE made over $11.5 million dollars in compensation.  The Vice Chair made almost $3 million, the CFO made over $3 million and the COO made almost $3 million.  Meanwhile, the CEO and COO of Consumers Energy received a compensation of almost $10.5 million dollars each. 

DTE reported a net income of $1.4 billion dollars, a .5% increase over 2023.  CMS Energy, the parent company of Consumers Energy, reported a net income of $992 million in 2024, a 13.23% increase from 2023.

And let us not forget UPPCO, which does not reveal the salaries of upper management.  Nor does it publish its net income or political contributions.  Meanwhile, DTE spent approximately $650,000 lobbying in 2024 and Consumers Energy spent over a million dollars in lobbing.

In 2023, 1.26 million people, or approximately 13.5% of Michigan residents, lived below the poverty line.  The Federal poverty line is defined as those earning below $13,590 for a single adult or below $27,750 for a family of four.  According to a June 2024 article by “Michigan Advance” and based on a study by the University of Michigan, nearly 40% of people in Michigan are living with economic insecurity.

The officials we elect to carry out the will of the people are no longer looking out for our best interests.  Instead, they are lining their pockets with large corporate donations. Large corporations are profiting off our labor. And many Michigan residents are fighting to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. We need to stand together and fight back. We need to tell our elected officials we will vote them out of office if they do not start representing us, instead of large, corporate donors.

Leah Belanger

June 28, 2025