|
|
Hi there, and welcome to the May edition of the MPSC Spotlight. We’ve got information about an upcoming forum on the response to the devastating northern Michigan ice storm and a public hearing on ways to make it easier for the public to participate in matters before the Commission. There’s also information about keeping your family safe during warmer-weather storms.
|
|
The MPSC will hold a public forum in Gaylord on May 21 to review the response to the catastrophic Northern Michigan ice storm that severely damaged the power grid, and the public is invited to give input.
The forum and listening session will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 21 at the Ellison Place, 150 Dale Drive in Gaylord. Commissioners and MPSC Staff will be on hand to hear directly from utility customers and others about the ice storm and the response to it by local and state authorities, utilities and others.
The historic storm layered thick ice across the region, leaving hundreds of miles of power lines down, toppling thousands of power poles, knocking out power and telecommunications to thousands of customers, and closing schools, businesses, roads and more.
“We were heartened by how northern Michiganders pulled together to ensure their neighbors had access to shelter, safety and meals with the power out, and we want to hear from residents, business owners and others about their thoughts on the response efforts – what went right, what went wrong, and what could have been done better,” MPSC Chair Dan Scripps said.
Individuals with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations to participate in the hearing by contacting the Commission’s Executive Secretary at 517-284-8090 as far as possible in advance of the meeting.
|
|
|
The MPSC has been taking a deep look at ways to improve public participation and engagement in matters before Commission — and now we’re providing a chance for utility customers and others to give us their thoughts on how to go about that.
The public is invited to attend the town hall-style meeting on Thursday, May 29, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Room L-150 at Cadillac Place, 3022 W. Grand Boulevard west of Woodward in Detroit’s New Center Neighborhood. The meeting is part of the MPSC’s efforts, launched in May 2024 in Case No. U-21638, to implement Public Act 231 of 2023.
Commissioners and MPSC Staff will be there to hear from utility customers about ways to make public participation and input easier and more accessible. There also will be representatives of Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office, which routinely participates in cases before the Commission on consumers’ behalf, and the Utility Consumer Participation Board, which provides grants to qualified applicants that represent the interests of Michigan's residential energy utility customers in proceedings before the MPSC.
|
With warm weather finally settling in, it’s the time of year to start thinking about ways to best prepare for storms that can bring heavy rains, hail, and strong winds with the potential to cause power outages.
Is your family prepared?
The MPSC’s webpage dedicated to getting through power outages is a great place to start. It includes links to the MPSC’s power outage checklist, safety tips from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross, and more.
You’ll also find links to power outage maps, crucial safety tips if you use a portable generator, and more.
We can’t stress enough the importance of downed power line safety. If you see a wire that has fallen down from a utility pole, always assume it is live and stay away from it and anything it touches. Call 911 and your utility to report the line so that a utility representative can come to guard it until it’s repaired. (But don’t call 911 just to report that you’ve lost power! Call your utility instead.)
|
Here are details about orders the Commission approved at its April 25 and May 15 meetings:
- The MPSC issued an order compelling CMC Telecom & Internet to show cause why it should not be found to be providing voice phone service in Michigan without proper licensing or registration (Case No. U-21904). The Commission also commenced proceedings to revoke licenses of four providers of basic local exchange phone service that have not met their statutory and regulatory responsibilities to maintain a license, do not seem to be providing telecommunications services to Michiganders and haven’t responded to MPSC inquiries (Case No. U-21868). The four providers are ComTech 21 LLC; Osirus Communications Inc.; Crystal Automation Systems Inc., doing business as Casair Inc.; and MCC Telephony of the Midwest LLC.
- The Commission adopted a funding factor for an expanding program that will offer more energy assistance for income-eligible Michigan households (Case No. U-17377). The MPSC set the Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund (LIEAF) funding factor at $1.25 per meter per month for the September 2025 to August 2026 billing months. Each billing meter, limited to one per household, is assessed $1.25 per month, which funds the Michigan Energy Assistance Program, or MEAP. With the increase, the LIEAF surcharge is expected to generate just over $75 million for energy assistance for the next fiscal year, a more than 50% increase over the $50 million cap that has been in place since 2014.The Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2024 approved legislation expanding the income eligibility threshold for Michigan households to receive MEAP support and the amount that may be raised for it. With expanded income eligibility, as many as 335,000 additional households may qualify for MEAP assistance.
- The Commission approved SEMCO Energy Gas Co.’s application for approval of a certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct and operate the Keweenaw Connector Pipeline, a new 30-mile, 12-inch steel natural gas transmission pipeline that will run between Three Lakes and Baraga in Baraga County in the Western Upper Peninsula (Case No. U-21780). The new pipeline will provide system redundancy and mitigate supply deliverability and reliability concerns for the UP’s natural gas system. Optimizing gas supply deliverability is a key goal of the MPSC’s Statewide Energy Assessment, a major report the MPSC issued in the aftermath of the 2019 Michigan energy emergency when a fire at a Macomb County natural gas compressor station threatened to disrupt statewide natural gas delivery during a polar vortex cold snap.
Tune in to our next regularly scheduled commission meeting on June 12 at 1 p.m.
|
|
|
Have a utility complaint, or need help with your utility service? We’re here to help. Submit your complaint or inquiry online or call 800-292-9555.
The mission of the Michigan Public Service Commission is to serve the public by ensuring safe, reliable, and accessible energy and telecommunications services at reasonable rates.
Michigan Public Service Commission
517-284-8100
7109 W. Saginaw Hwy,
Lansing, MI 48917
Stay Connected with Us!
|
|
|
|
|
