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Posts by Energy Equity Project

4 panel meme of Anakin and Padme from Star Wars. The two are having a conversation in a green and flowery field. First panel is Anakin with the caption "We're raising rates again." The second panel is Padme looking happy with the caption "So we can afford to end shutoffs, right?" Third panel is Anakin looking deadpan with no caption. Fourth panel is Padme looking concerned and repeating "So we can afford to end shutoffs, right?"

4 panel meme of Anakin and Padme from Star Wars. The two are having a conversation in a green and flowery field. First panel is Anakin with the caption "We're raising rates again." The second panel is Padme looking happy with the caption "So we can afford to end shutoffs, right?" Third panel is Anakin looking deadpan with no caption. Fourth panel is Padme looking concerned and repeating "So we can afford to end shutoffs, right?"

If you haven't yet, register for our upcoming Shutoff Abolition workshop - a week from today! lnkd.in/gXACEHzq

We promised more memes...

2 weeks ago 0 0 0 0
Change my mind meme: a man sits at table outside with a white poster that says: "We can't afford to abolish shutoffs. CHANGE MY MIND"

Change my mind meme: a man sits at table outside with a white poster that says: "We can't afford to abolish shutoffs. CHANGE MY MIND"

"We get this argument a lot. Want to practice responding to it? Come to our upcoming workshop! We promise there will be more top notch memes.
Register: lnkd.in/gXACEHzq%22

2 weeks ago 0 0 0 0
Red and gray background with a house shape cut out and a power cord. In the top left, the words "but" and "we can't" are crossed out. At the bottom, text says "why do we still have energy shutoffs? Another world is possible."

Red and gray background with a house shape cut out and a power cord. In the top left, the words "but" and "we can't" are crossed out. At the bottom, text says "why do we still have energy shutoffs? Another world is possible."

"If we abolish shutoffs, why would anyone ever pay their bill?" Practice responding to this and other common arguments at our upcoming workshop: umich.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

3 weeks ago 0 0 0 0
Energy Equity Project Energy Equity Project Email Forms

Are you thinking, how have I not heard about this?? It might be time to register for our newsletter: energyequityproject.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

4 weeks ago 0 0 0 0
LinkedIn This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

We're excited to share that we've pulled together all of our shutoff abolition resources in one place - our newly launched Shutoff Abolition Hub! We're also hosting a fun, interactive workshop on this topic in 3 weeks.

Access the hub: lnkd.in/g5En6ESh
Register for the workshop: lnkd.in/gXACEHzq

4 weeks ago 0 0 1 0
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Dems propose electing Michigan Public Service Commission Michigan's public service commissioners — responsible for setting utility rates and ensuring reliable service — would be elected instead of appointed, under legislation proposed by state lawmakers.

This month, two Democrats in the MI legislature proposed shifting from appointed MPSC commissioners to elected ones. Turns out there was an effort to do this 44 years ago. DTE & Consumers spent $4.4 million to stop it & sent thousands of staff to the polls to campaign against commissioner elections.

1 month ago 0 0 0 0

We get a lot of pushback from utilities saying that good reporting requirements are too administratively burdensome, but we’ve done the research, and it’s just not that hard! We just recently submitted comments and a methodology paper in a CO PUC NOPR to outline that process.

1 month ago 0 0 0 0
Valentine's day card meant to be folded in half. The left has a line to write who the card is from. The right side says Happy Valentine's Day in red text, with an icy heart beneath it, followed by the words "You and your company give me the chills. 6% is the most folks should spend on their bills."

Valentine's day card meant to be folded in half. The left has a line to write who the card is from. The right side says Happy Valentine's Day in red text, with an icy heart beneath it, followed by the words "You and your company give me the chills. 6% is the most folks should spend on their bills."

💘With Valentine's Day this Saturday, it's a good time to revisit our Energy Equity Valentine's cards for that special utility in your life: lnkd.in/gwuNmF2W

2 months ago 0 0 0 0
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The hub includes a Boilerplate Language library for testimony, a Best Practices Guide, and more. We'd love to hear your feedback. And we want these resources to grow, so let us know if you want to be a contributing author!

6 months ago 0 0 0 0

🚨 BIG NEWS! 🚨 Today we're releasing our brand new IOU TKO Resource Hub, a set of resources to support PUC intervention work.
🥊 energyequityproject.org/iou-tko-reso...

6 months ago 0 0 1 0
E-Dockets Community

If you agree, you can comment on the case here: mi-psc.my.site.com/s/case/500cs...

This is our last post in our 11x11 series - hope it has been informative! We file our rate case testimony against DTE on August 22nd and go from there.

#Reject_DTEs_Rate_Case #11x11

8 months ago 0 0 0 0
E-Dockets Community

Call us crazy, but we don't think that a company with a terrible track record on outages, customer service, affordability, shutoffs, dark money, assistance programs, and more should get rewarded, while Michigan families struggle to pay their bills.

8 months ago 0 0 1 0
E-Dockets Community

No 11: DTE's customer's suffer for bloated ROE

MPSC has granted DTE Electric a 9.9% ROE, return on equity, on the 10.25 or 10.5% requested in all four rate cases finalized since 2020. If their proposed rate increase of $574 million is approved, 18.6% of that, $107 million, will go straight to ROE.

8 months ago 1 0 1 0

These tracts have a 83% BIPOC population, are in the 94th percentile on MIEJScreen, and 71% of households are below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. When we talk about #cumulative_impacts, this is what it looks like.

#Reject_DTEs_Rate_Case #11x11

8 months ago 0 0 0 0
Image of two maps side by side showing the most impacted census tracts. All but one are in Detroit, with one in Pontiac, MI.

Image of two maps side by side showing the most impacted census tracts. All but one are in Detroit, with one in Pontiac, MI.

No 10: DTE's Hardest Hit census tracts face #Extreme_Unaffordability

We found that DTE's 33 hardest hit census tracts spend 7.7% of their incomes on electricity (double the affordability threshold).

8 months ago 0 0 1 0

#Reject_DTEs_Rate_Case #11x11 #Unaffordability

8 months ago 0 0 0 0

No. 9: DTE caps enrollment for their low-income retrofit program at 1,000 slots.

🙄 Surprise, surprise, when a program can actually have a meaningful long term impact on affordability, DTE caps enrollment. 1,000 slots means this program serves just 0.2% of low-income customers.

8 months ago 0 0 1 0

#Reject_DTEs_Rate_Case #11x11 #PIPP #Unaffordability

8 months ago 0 0 0 0
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When DTE got the chance to pilot a PIPP, they refused to set targets at affordable levels, instead setting the energy burden threshold at 6% of income for electric or gas only customers and 10% for combo customers. However, it still significantly outperformed DTE's existing affordability programs.

8 months ago 0 0 1 0

No. 8: DTE #Perpetuates_Poverty and #Fails_At_Affordability

More than 1 in 4 customers DTE classified as low-income was shut off from April 2022 – April 2024.

This is a clear indication that its low-income programs are failing to ensure continuous access to energy.

8 months ago 0 0 1 0
I literally purchased a power generator to avoid the harsh cold during power outages in the winter. My generator purchase cost me $1100. I am a single mother, with health conditions, and unaware of the electrical connections required to even hook my generator up. I believe it requires a specific generator cord that costs above $100 to service my home. My complaint isnt about the generator but about the very many frequent power outages that my residence is subjected to with the slightest wind or rain let alone major storms. Today, yet again a 5 minute rain storm and my residence is without power. DTE doesnt reimburse for outages u less they are greater than 24 hours. Though I am amongst the few 5 percent of resident in my area that is experiencing an outage and this happens all the time. I asked *** during the outages occurred last summer to investigate the cause for the frequent outages and they said they would. They placed a type of solar grid within 100 feet of my home and as you are being informed today their so called investigation did not resolve the matter. I have been subjected to at least 3-5 insurance claims for food spoilage due to the frequent power outages and yes my homeowners insurance has increased. I have been subjected to harsh cold and power outages that are illegal and wrong. Every month I pay my DTE bill on time, ahead of time, over and above the amount due as a long standing DTE customer and its not fair not at all which is why I am making this complaint k own to you today. There are people that I know and have brought to the attention of the police that fraudulently have illegally obtained power to their homes free of charge. I am a tax payer, I own my home, I dont owe DTE anything. Every month I pay nearly $350 for my monthly residential services and yet I am still subjected to being amongst the 5% of residence whose power goes out.

I literally purchased a power generator to avoid the harsh cold during power outages in the winter. My generator purchase cost me $1100. I am a single mother, with health conditions, and unaware of the electrical connections required to even hook my generator up. I believe it requires a specific generator cord that costs above $100 to service my home. My complaint isnt about the generator but about the very many frequent power outages that my residence is subjected to with the slightest wind or rain let alone major storms. Today, yet again a 5 minute rain storm and my residence is without power. DTE doesnt reimburse for outages u less they are greater than 24 hours. Though I am amongst the few 5 percent of resident in my area that is experiencing an outage and this happens all the time. I asked *** during the outages occurred last summer to investigate the cause for the frequent outages and they said they would. They placed a type of solar grid within 100 feet of my home and as you are being informed today their so called investigation did not resolve the matter. I have been subjected to at least 3-5 insurance claims for food spoilage due to the frequent power outages and yes my homeowners insurance has increased. I have been subjected to harsh cold and power outages that are illegal and wrong. Every month I pay my DTE bill on time, ahead of time, over and above the amount due as a long standing DTE customer and its not fair not at all which is why I am making this complaint k own to you today. There are people that I know and have brought to the attention of the police that fraudulently have illegally obtained power to their homes free of charge. I am a tax payer, I own my home, I dont owe DTE anything. Every month I pay nearly $350 for my monthly residential services and yet I am still subjected to being amongst the 5% of residence whose power goes out.

I am writing to formally file a complaint against DTE Energy due to their ongoing negligence and lack of proper response concerning a live wire hazard in my backyard. Despite being a loyal, bill-paying customer, I have been met with continuous disrespect, disregard, and confusion from *** representatives.For some years now, there has been a live wire down in my yard. Which happens when it storms.I have contacted DTE on multiple occasions, yet no action has been taken to resolve this dangerous situation. Instead of properly addressing the hazard, DTE has simply placed caution tape around the live wire a temporary and wholly inadequate solution that does not eliminate the risk. To myself or my ******* make matters worse, I am being told constantly by *** it is my responsibility to cut down a tree that is near this live wire, while simultaneously being warned not to go near it for safety reasons. This contradiction is both confusing and very irresponsible on **** part. How am I expected to resolve something I am being told is unsafe to approach?On Wednesday, I received a phone call from a *** representative. After calling, claiming that notes in their system indicated the wire in question is not live. This is simply false. The wire in my backyard consists of two lines wrapped together . Clearly a live electrical wire. A single cable wire looks entirely different, and I find it incredibly frustrating to have to defend this fact to trained professionals.This is not the first time Ive had to elevate this matter to corporate, and yet here I am still with a live wire in my backyard, still being dismissed by customer service, and still waiting for correction.I am requesting immediate intervention and resolution through the Better Business Bureau, as this has become a serious safety concern. I would appreciate a thorough investigation into this matter and for *** to be held accountable for their repeated failure to address a hazardous situation properly.

I am writing to formally file a complaint against DTE Energy due to their ongoing negligence and lack of proper response concerning a live wire hazard in my backyard. Despite being a loyal, bill-paying customer, I have been met with continuous disrespect, disregard, and confusion from *** representatives.For some years now, there has been a live wire down in my yard. Which happens when it storms.I have contacted DTE on multiple occasions, yet no action has been taken to resolve this dangerous situation. Instead of properly addressing the hazard, DTE has simply placed caution tape around the live wire a temporary and wholly inadequate solution that does not eliminate the risk. To myself or my ******* make matters worse, I am being told constantly by *** it is my responsibility to cut down a tree that is near this live wire, while simultaneously being warned not to go near it for safety reasons. This contradiction is both confusing and very irresponsible on **** part. How am I expected to resolve something I am being told is unsafe to approach?On Wednesday, I received a phone call from a *** representative. After calling, claiming that notes in their system indicated the wire in question is not live. This is simply false. The wire in my backyard consists of two lines wrapped together . Clearly a live electrical wire. A single cable wire looks entirely different, and I find it incredibly frustrating to have to defend this fact to trained professionals.This is not the first time Ive had to elevate this matter to corporate, and yet here I am still with a live wire in my backyard, still being dismissed by customer service, and still waiting for correction.I am requesting immediate intervention and resolution through the Better Business Bureau, as this has become a serious safety concern. I would appreciate a thorough investigation into this matter and for *** to be held accountable for their repeated failure to address a hazardous situation properly.

I had to pay for an HVAC technician to come out to my house and possibly fix my A/C unit. The technician then informs me that it wasnt the A/C unit but the meter it was connected to. Turns out DTE interrupted the service and NEVER reconnected the power. Not only that, they interrupted the service so they can replace/remove the old meter however they did not do either. There are still 2 meters left on my house. I then called DTE explained the emergency and they still told me I had to wait 3 days for an electrician to come out. I called back Sunday (2 days later) begging them to please escalate my case and get a tech out here same day as it reached 96 degrees and it was messing with my health and I was unable to sleep or do basic functions because of the heat. They assured me that they will send someone same day between the hours of 8am-4:30 pm. I wait all the way until 4 pm and no one showed up. I call again and they assured me that the tech should be here within the next 30 mins, reiterating that the tech has until 4:30 to show. I wait until 5:30 before calling again and checking on the status/ETA. They then informed me that the last 2 customer service **** I spoke with were wrong and those technicians dont work on Sundays so they would need to come the next business day (Monday). This was unacceptable as i explained to DTE that there is a heat advisory and for me to wait around in my house all day with no air conditioning just for no one to show up is messing with my health. They did not consider this to be an emergency which I am not understanding since it was them who messed up in the first place by the technician not properly doing their job and reconnecting the service to the meter!! They did not seem to care. I am now waiting another 8 hours in 95 degree weather where I feel very weak, sick and over heated, for a technician to arrive. I am forced to get in my shower and drench myself in cold water just to keep my body temperature down.

I had to pay for an HVAC technician to come out to my house and possibly fix my A/C unit. The technician then informs me that it wasnt the A/C unit but the meter it was connected to. Turns out DTE interrupted the service and NEVER reconnected the power. Not only that, they interrupted the service so they can replace/remove the old meter however they did not do either. There are still 2 meters left on my house. I then called DTE explained the emergency and they still told me I had to wait 3 days for an electrician to come out. I called back Sunday (2 days later) begging them to please escalate my case and get a tech out here same day as it reached 96 degrees and it was messing with my health and I was unable to sleep or do basic functions because of the heat. They assured me that they will send someone same day between the hours of 8am-4:30 pm. I wait all the way until 4 pm and no one showed up. I call again and they assured me that the tech should be here within the next 30 mins, reiterating that the tech has until 4:30 to show. I wait until 5:30 before calling again and checking on the status/ETA. They then informed me that the last 2 customer service **** I spoke with were wrong and those technicians dont work on Sundays so they would need to come the next business day (Monday). This was unacceptable as i explained to DTE that there is a heat advisory and for me to wait around in my house all day with no air conditioning just for no one to show up is messing with my health. They did not consider this to be an emergency which I am not understanding since it was them who messed up in the first place by the technician not properly doing their job and reconnecting the service to the meter!! They did not seem to care. I am now waiting another 8 hours in 95 degree weather where I feel very weak, sick and over heated, for a technician to arrive. I am forced to get in my shower and drench myself in cold water just to keep my body temperature down.

Hello my name is ******* ******** and I submitted documentation about a medical hold with a drs note stating my condition and reason for the necessity and WHY it would be detrimental to my health if they shut off my electrical. Dte REFUSES to accept a legal doctors letter containing all the necessary requirements by Michigan state law they still refuse to accept it saying life support isnt the same thing as heat stroke when theyre both valid medical emergencies. I need them to accept my doctors note or reduce the amount that they say I owe monthly Dte CAN forgive some of the balance they choose not to and I cant keep paying $266 a month for electricity. Im a single mom Dte already has me coded as ********** and *** wants $1,000 copay to make a payment. I dont know what else to do at this point. I need help.

Hello my name is ******* ******** and I submitted documentation about a medical hold with a drs note stating my condition and reason for the necessity and WHY it would be detrimental to my health if they shut off my electrical. Dte REFUSES to accept a legal doctors letter containing all the necessary requirements by Michigan state law they still refuse to accept it saying life support isnt the same thing as heat stroke when theyre both valid medical emergencies. I need them to accept my doctors note or reduce the amount that they say I owe monthly Dte CAN forgive some of the balance they choose not to and I cant keep paying $266 a month for electricity. Im a single mom Dte already has me coded as ********** and *** wants $1,000 copay to make a payment. I dont know what else to do at this point. I need help.

No 7: DTE has #Terrible_Customer_Service

The Better Business Bureau website is riddled with reviews like these. Failure to deal with live wires, wrongful shutoffs, etc. Know of any other industries where this type of negligence is met with a huge raise?

#Reject_DTEs_Rate_Case #11x11

8 months ago 1 0 0 0

We're not economists but maybe if you can't meet reliability standards, you shouldn't be raking in such high profits 🤔

#Reject_DTEs_Rate_Case #11x11

8 months ago 0 0 0 0

DTE consistently cites these reliability issues as the basis for exorbitant rate increases. But, while tons of DTE customers already have to choose between paying their energy bill and buying groceries, as we shared in reason No. 2, in the last six quarters on record, DTE stock has risen 54%.

8 months ago 0 0 1 0

No.7: DTE #Cant_Keep_The_Lights_On 🕯️

"More than 13% of DTE Electric customers experienced four or more interruptions in 2023, and nearly 45% experienced interruptions of eight hours or more," according to a 3rd party audit commissioned by the MPSC.

8 months ago 0 0 1 0
LinkedIn This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

Check out this great article from We Want Green Too which talks more about the discrepancies between residential and C&I rate increases: lnkd.in/eqEf7MCZ

#Unaffordability #Reject_DTEs_Rate_Case #11x11

8 months ago 0 0 0 0
Cartoon cow with green spots and dollar signs for eyes.

Cartoon cow with green spots and dollar signs for eyes.

No. 5: DTE Treats Residential Customers As Their Cash Cow

This week DTE reported a 14% bump in Q2 earnings vs 2024, due largely to the last rate increase MPSC approved. Somehow that's *still* not enough. They've proposed an 11% residential rate increase, but for industrial customers? Just 5.6%.

8 months ago 0 0 1 0
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DTE has a suite of programs where customers can voluntarily give them even more money. ⚠️60-80% of the money customers spend goes straight to DTE profit ⚠️ 

🌲 TreeGuard Assurance - if DTE doesn't trim your trees like they're supposed to, you can pay a premium to have them clean up after an outage

⚡ Surge Protection Plans - DTE offers a range of plans to protect your electronics and appliances from surges, costing customers between $5.99 and $22.99 per month - or buy a power strip...

💵 GreenBacks Cash - pay DTE $240 per year so it can give you $125 back on the off chance you need to replace your microwave

🛠️ Home Protection Plus - spend upwards of $80 / month for potential appliance repairs that may or may not be covered and have a cap on cost

🔥 Natural Gas Balance - pay extra to offset your natural gas usage so DTE doesn't have to get off gas to meet its climate commitments

🌞 MIGreenPower - pay extra to subsidize DTE's solar and wind, despite the fact that these forms of energy generation are rapidly becoming the cheapest in the world

🤑 MIGreenPower Community Impact - subsidize DTE's new solar parks in Detroit, Highland Park, and River Rouge so that DTE only has to foot 30% of the capital cost

DTE has a suite of programs where customers can voluntarily give them even more money. ⚠️60-80% of the money customers spend goes straight to DTE profit ⚠️ 🌲 TreeGuard Assurance - if DTE doesn't trim your trees like they're supposed to, you can pay a premium to have them clean up after an outage ⚡ Surge Protection Plans - DTE offers a range of plans to protect your electronics and appliances from surges, costing customers between $5.99 and $22.99 per month - or buy a power strip... 💵 GreenBacks Cash - pay DTE $240 per year so it can give you $125 back on the off chance you need to replace your microwave 🛠️ Home Protection Plus - spend upwards of $80 / month for potential appliance repairs that may or may not be covered and have a cap on cost 🔥 Natural Gas Balance - pay extra to offset your natural gas usage so DTE doesn't have to get off gas to meet its climate commitments 🌞 MIGreenPower - pay extra to subsidize DTE's solar and wind, despite the fact that these forms of energy generation are rapidly becoming the cheapest in the world 🤑 MIGreenPower Community Impact - subsidize DTE's new solar parks in Detroit, Highland Park, and River Rouge so that DTE only has to foot 30% of the capital cost

No. 4: DTE's "Value-Added" get-rich-quick schemes

#Value_Add_Grift #Reject_DTEs_Rate_Case #11x11

8 months ago 0 0 0 0
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DTE dark money ties revealed in criminal court filings DTE Energy employees directed the transfer of dark money to a fund linked to a prominent Republican lawmaker, court records show.

For more on dark money energy orgs and their ties to DTE, here are some great sources:

energyandpolicy.org/dte-dark-mon...
energyandpolicy.org/michigan-ene...
energyandpolicy.org/michigan-ene...
energyandpolicy.org/dte-energy-p...

#Utility_Money_Out_Of_Politics #Reject_DTEs_Rate_Case #11x11

8 months ago 0 0 0 0

That's just what's in the public record. The Energy and Policy Institute has exposed dark money connections between DTE and Michigan Energy First, which "pumped $2 million into Democrat-affiliated accounts" in 2022 including "$750,000 to the Whitmer-affiliated 501(c)(4) Road to Michigan’s Future."

8 months ago 0 0 1 0

No.3: DTE's #Dark_Money_Corruption

How can you ensure that your rate increases pass year after year? Why not buy out the politicians?

"Of Michigan’s 148 state senators and representatives, 138 – almost all of them – have logged campaign contributions from DTE’s Political Action Committee (PAC)..."

8 months ago 0 0 1 0