Michigan

DTE, Consumers on track to reconnect power for customers, likely avoiding paying credits

Published

2 years ago

August 30, 2024

DTE, Consumers on track to reconnect power for customers, likely avoiding paying credits

Two days after severe thunderstorms knocked out power to a half-million Michigan customers, some of them are wondering whether they will receive the $38 utility credit that the Michigan Public Service Commission has set to help compensate them.

The short answer: Probably not.

There is still uncertainty about how and when the outage will be resolved, but the PSC confirmed with the Free Press on Thursday that it is likely — if the utility outage estimates and repair forecasts stay on track — neither DTE Energy nor Consumers Energy will be issuing many credits.

Both companies, when asked Thursday about credits by the Free Press, mostly sidestepped the issue.

What’s more, the lack of compensation adds to the concerns already swirling around the PSC, a state agency charged with regulating public utilities, and whether it is too close to the companies it is supposed to oversee and should do more to track, investigate and act on complaints.

Consumers Energy has said it hopes to have most repairs done Thursday; and DTE said Friday — at the latest.

As of 6 p.m., both utilities had made considerable progress on restoring power. Detroit-based DTE reported it was down to about 43,000 customers without power out of an estimated 300,000 on Tuesday, and Jackson-based Consumers Energy had about 18,000 more customers to reconnect out of about 200,000.

Customers are eager to have their power back on, but the thought of receiving no compensation isn’t sitting well with many of them who already feel that a $38 credit — which they explain doesn’t begin to cover what they lose in a power outage, especially during a heat wave — is insufficient.

“Into our second day of no power and now need to discard food from (the) freezer/refrigerator,” Doug Lombardi, of Livonia, wrote in an email he sent to the Free Press. “Suggest you do a follow up story on how and where to seek compensation for tossed food.”

And his reaction to the power outage was among one of more measured ones.

Michigan utilities under pressure

In the past few years, DTE and Consumers Energy have come under increasing fire from the public, nonprofit watchdog groups and even the state attorney general for a lack of energy reliability, which, in the freezing cold of winter or the boiling hot summer, puts Michiganders at risk.

Last year, the Free Press reported the two utilities were among the worst-performing utilities in the nation, ranked by how long it took them to get the lights back on after a power outage. At the same time, Michiganders also were paying more for electricity than their neighbors around the Great Lakes.

The criticism forced the Public Service Commission to change its utility credit guidelines, boosting the credit from $25 to $35, and now, $38, and requiring the utilities to pay them automatically, instead of making customers apply for them.

Moreover, an in-depth Free Press investigation found the PSC tends to lack decision-making transparency and, as a potential conflict of interest, gets 80% of its funding from DTE and Consumers Energy, which hold a near monopoly on providing electricity to Michigan residents.

Thursday, another Free Press investigation concluded that thousands of informal complaints lodged annually aren’t tracked well, and “most formal complaints against Michigan utilities are dismissed, and a handful of consumers have reached confidential settlements.”

The challenge now for Michiganders to get credits after this week’s ongoing outage is tied to the formula the PSC set for issuing them. The higher the percentage of customers caught in an outage, the more time a utility is allowed to restore power before a credit is required.

The measure gives utilities a grace period — 16 hours to four days — to make repairs.

The thinking behind this caveat is that more widespread outages require more effort to fix. The new guidelines, which rely on numbers reported by the utility companies, also call for utilities to credit more per day past the grace period when the grace period is exceeded.

But in this outage, based on the two utilities’ early estimates of how many people lost power — about 13% for DTE and more than 10% for DTE — and when it will be back on, there is a good chance each utility might avoid big credit payouts.

DTE said its goal is “to never have our customers in a situation where they incur the hardships that an outage brings or where reliability credits would have to be issued,” and Consumers Energy said “the discussion around outage credits really goes to a bigger issue over how well we keep the lights on for customers.”

Years of unclaimed credits

Outage credits have been around since the 1980s, as one of the measures the PSC has used to encourage utilities to enhance reliability.

But until last year, customers had to apply for them.

That meant millions in credits that customers were eligible for after frequent and long power outages didn’t get applied because customers either didn’t know the process or didn’t have time to apply and the money went unclaimed, according to a 2000 report by the Lansing State Journal.

That same year, the nonprofit Citizens Utility Board of Michigan also released a study that found when it came to reliability, Michigan’s utilities ranked among “the worst in the country.” It took days, for example, to restore power to DTE and Consumers Energy customers caught in a 2019 storm.

The Lansing State Journal — which, in addition to the Free Press is part of the Gannett network — noted the nonprofit study and interviewed the group’s executive director who called for changes to the credit policy. A year later, yet another storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers.

And this time, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel weighed in.

The state’s top law enforcement officer asked utilities to voluntarily credit customers affected by the outage and provide increased credits — the amount, then, just $25 — to help those who lost hundreds of dollars or more on food and hotel costs.

Adding to the pressure on the utilities, Nessel also published the results of a survey that ever since has been used by news outlets and consumer groups to question whether the credits are enough. It found 90% of the utility customers in the outage “lost between $100 to $500” and 35% “lost between $500 to $1,000.”

Amid the growing criticism, DTE said that it agreed to voluntarily issue $100 credits.

More: DTE: Power reliability must improve, outage cost estimate at more than $50M

It’s unclear whether the company would offer voluntary credits again.

When asked Wednesday by the Free Press about it, one of the corporate vice presidents acknowledged it could do better and said the company would have to have internal discussions, but did not commit to customer credits that weren’t required or rule it out.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

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Michigan

Experts reveal where Michigan’s gas comes from and why pump prices continue to rise

Published

41 minutes ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Experts reveal where Michigan’s gas comes from and why pump prices continue to rise

LANSING, Mich. — No matter where Michiganders go, they’re paying more to fill up, but experts say there’s a lot that goes into those rising prices.

According to AAA, Michigan’s gas price average hit $4.01 on Tuesday, which is about $1.10 higher than a month ago.

The prices echo what’s being paid for crude oil, which sits just below $100 a barrel.

That’s being driven by the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for the world’s oil.

But what Michigan drivers are putting in their car isn’t impacted by that, at least not when it comes to transportation of the oil used in domestic gasoline.

“You have some oil coming from Canada, you have oil coming from literally out in the middle of the Gulf of America, as we call it today, coming up from Texas, it comes on pipelines from out west, from the Dakotas.,” Michigan Petroleum Association President Mark Griffin said.

The U.S. is a net exporter of oil, meaning it produces more than it uses, but even with a large domestic supply, high prices are the result of basic economics.

“It’s much like if you were to buy a share of stock from a company today at a hundred bucks and we find out tomorrow that they’re the only source for this widget that we all have to have and their stock rises up to $200,” Griffin said. “The company did nothing unique on that day, but their stock went up and now it’s worth more. That same thing happens to us with crude oil.”

Griffin, who also represents convenience store owners, says there’s not much gas stations can do.

“The typical gas station, about 70% of their gross sales is motor fuel, but it’s only 30% of their profit,” he said. “Retailers have to adjust their prices first to be able to pay for replacement costs. If you’re buying 10,000 gallons at a time and the price goes up 50, 70 cents a gallon, like we’ve seen, you have to raise your prices now to be able to afford that next load or you’ll go out of business.”

Other pressures facing fuel include the annual switch to the summer blend of gas that can temporarily lower supply and boost prices.

Michigan’s gas tax structure also changed this year, leading to a price increase, according to Griffin.

To stay competitive, Griffin says many gas stations do try to sell below cost, hoping to ease the burden and bring customers in.

“Our in-store sales go down because people literally just don’t have the money in their pocket to spend inside the store,” he said. “That’s one reason why we would much rather see these costs go down.”

So, there’s not much drivers can do to escape the high prices, but AAA has tips.

“Now is a really good time for drivers to consider shopping around,” AAA Michigan Spokesperson Adrienne Woodland said. “They may want consider paying cash for gasoline. Some retailers charge more if you use a credit card. Now is also a great time for drivers to enroll in fuel reward savings programs”

Otherwise, both Griffin and Woodland believe gas prices will remain volatile alongside oil prices, so it’s not clear whether they will come down any time soon.

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Michigan

Kyle Whittingham is dreaming big for Michigan football; it’s doable

Published

13 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Kyle Whittingham is dreaming big for Michigan football; it’s doable

Kyle Whittingham is the new head coach of Michigan football following Sherrone Moore’s firing.
Whittingham believes the team can compete for a Big Ten championship in his first year without a rebuild.
Michigan still has many talented players, including quarterback Bryce Underwood and running back Savion Hiter.
The new coaching staff plans to implement a physical, run-heavy offense and a versatile, turnover-focused defense.

Each day Kyle Whittingham walks into Schembechler Hall, he is reminded of Michigan football’s tremendous power. The program he now leads possesses a rich tradition, abundant resources and immense brand recognition.

“I mean, it’s all here,” he said last week at the outset of spring practice.

A convincing case can be made that the Wolverines’ built-in advantages have diminished the impact of their own self-inflicted controversies, which stirred intense turmoil and caused reputational damage but did not lead to complete devastation. Even in the turbulent wake of former coach Sherrone Moore’s shocking firing this past December, college football’s winningest program weathered a destabilizing leadership change and remained relatively unscathed.

In this era of mass player movement, the Wolverines managed to retain many of their top contributors and the bulk of their 2026 signing class, which was ranked 11^th-best in the country by 247Sports. Whittingham, in fact, is so bullish about Michigan’s new crop of freshmen that he told reporters “a lot of those guys are going to help out right away.”

Following his awkward, bitter divorce from Utah – the school where he coached in some capacity for the past 32 years – the 66-year-old Whittingham understands that he landed in a fortunate situation at a place he calls “one of the pinnacles of college football.” It’s why he has already set his mind on achieving lofty goals in his first season in Ann Arbor.

“At Michigan,” Whittingham said, “I would say if you’re not thinking Big Ten championship every year, then something’s wrong.”

Whittingham has reason to believe he can completely bypass the rebuilding phase that usually accompanies a regime change and complete organizational reboot. The team he inherited, after all, won nine games and remained in contention for a College Football Playoff berth until halfway through the third quarter of a 27-9 loss to Ohio State in the regular-season finale.

It was a rather impressive achievement considering Michigan was led by Moore, a flawed, inexperienced coach who still seemed out of his depth in his second year in charge. There is reason to assume Whittingham is capable of producing even better results given that he is more seasoned and successful than his disgraced predecessor. Eight seasons with 10 or more victories during Whittingham’s 21-year tenure at Utah’s helm support that supposition. The Utes, Whittingham noted, were a “more of a development” program populated with lower-tier recruits.

Michigan is not that.

The Wolverines have a strong talent base loaded with players other elite programs coveted. Bryce Underwood, the team’s sophomore quarterback, was the top high school prospect in the 2025 class. Savion Hiter, a five-star freshman, was rated the No. 2 running back in the nation as a high school senior. They headline a large cohort of blue-chippers that dot a roster returning 63% of its production from last season, a share that is among the 20 largest in the country, according to ESPN. With 10 starters back, including seven on offense, the transition should be relatively smooth.

While defensive coordinator Jay Hill noted that that Whittingham and his new staff will have to build their “own identity” and a new “culture,” the football philosophy appears similar to the one Moore, and his mentor Jim Harbaugh, espoused.

Whittingham, just as they did, said he wants the Wolverines to be “physically tough” and control the line of scrimmage. In Whittingham’s final season at Utah, the Utes finished second in the country in rushing, averaging 266.3 yards per game on the ground. Much in the same way Michigan has done for years, they feature their tight ends in the passing game and rely on a healthy diet of play-action throws.

“They’ll pack it in and pound you and they’ll spread you out and throw it,” said Hill, who was BYU’s DC the past three seasons and matched wits with Michigan’s new OC Jason Beck last year, when he was at Utah.

Hill noted that the offense is versatile, much like his own defensive scheme, which he likened to the one Michigan ran under Jesse Minter during its run to a CFP championship in 2023. Minter’s system, which had NFL roots and included a menu of coverages, multiple fronts and packages of simulated pressures, was a huge success; it allowed the fewest points and yards per game in the country that year. Michigan also created the fourth-most takeaways. As Hill watched the Wolverines back then, he noted, “That defense looks just like us.”

BYU, under Hill, then began to resemble them in results. Over the past two years, the Cougars forced 53 turnovers, the fifth-highest total in the nation during that span.

The numbers, Hill said, show that his scheme “works.”

“We believe emphatically that it is the best system in the country,” he added.

Hill is eager to prove it. Much like his boss, he sees no point in tamping down expectations. A rebuild, he said, is not even a consideration because “no one puts up with that in today’s world.

“Do we expect to be good in Year 1?” Hill asked rhetorically. “Absolutely. Do we expect to be competing for championships? That’s why we came here.”

The program they now lead has seeded them with the confidence their goals can be accomplished in short order. While history has shown Michigan is not too big to fail, it’s understandable why anyone given ownership of this football Leviathan would think it is. As soon as he assumed control, Whittingham realized he was set up for success. Now, it’s his mission to achieve it.

It seems eminently possible he will, if he can make the right moves with all the quality pieces he has come to possess.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com.

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Michigan

Michigan football, Kyle Whittingham add to personnel department, including former player

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Michigan football, Kyle Whittingham add to personnel department, including former player

The University of Michigan has beefed up its football personnel department with multiple new hires, people with direct knowledge told USA TODAY Sports on Monday, March 23.

The Wolverines are adding former New York Giants director of scouting Chris Pettit and ex-Wolverines player and assistant coach Ron Bellamy to the staff of new general manager Dave Peloquin, who was hired last month by Kyle Whittingham and worked closely with Whittingham in these moves, according to people familiar with the process.

Pettit will serve as Michigan’s assistant general manager of player personnel; Bellamy has been tabbed as the program’s senior director of recruiting relations.

Sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the new hires have not yet been publicly announced by Michigan.

Working with the NFL’s Giants for almost two decades, from 2004-2022, Pettit was a part of the organization as it won a pair of Super Bowl championships and eventually rose from intern to the role of director of college scouting.

The Giants dismissed Pettit in May 2022 after they hired Joe Schoen as general manager.

Pettit had founded a scouting data service, Scout Smarter AI, that leaned into technology and data to supply what the company previously termed “a stat-based scouting” service for football.

Bellamy, who played at Michigan from 1999-2002, had been on the Wolverine coaching staffs of both Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore from 2021-25. He first served as Michigan’s safeties coach before he transitioned to coach wideouts, the position he played, the past four seasons.

Initially, Bellamy was not retained by Whittingham after Whittingham was hired away from Utah in late December.

But sources familiar with the process told USA TODAY Sports that Peloquin and Whittingham worked together to find a way to bring Bellamy back into the program.

In the overhauled personnel department, Bellamy and Pettit will join Skylar Phan, whom Michigan hired away from USC last month to become the Wolverines’ director of recruiting.

Michigan has completed its first week of spring practice under Whittingham and is scheduled to host its annual spring game on Saturday, April 18.

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