The Michigan Senate passed House Bill 5524 and sent it back to the House of Representatives, with only minor revisions. There is still time to let your lawmakers know you do not support this return to a government mandated monopoly. Tell your lawmakers today you cannot afford higher electric rates and Michigan cannot afford to lose more jobs.

Click here to write your Representative now.

Join the CCC to


Residential Energy Rates Will Climb by 30 percent
According to a recent study by the Senate Fiscal Agency, if the House energy package is passed,
Detroit Edison's residential customers will see, in combination with pending cases,
rates increase by 28-percent and Consumers' by 23-25 percent.

To read the full report, click here.

Mackinac Center Study Finds:
Proposals to Suppress Competition in Michigan's Electricity Market and
Mandate “Renewable Energy” Use Would Raise Prices Without
Improving Service or Environment (study)

New data in: Competition holding down rates, MPSC shows
This data was provided by the MPSC to the Senate committee today. Michigan rate increases for every class - residential, commercial and industrial - increased since passage of OUR competition law by less than U.S. regional, restructured, regulated and 10 largest states. Our law works for customers - regardless of what the utilities are saying.

Michigan Senate Passes HB 5524 - Effectively killing competition and choice

On Friday, June 27, 2008 the Michigan Senate passed House Bill 5524 with only minor changes, and sent it back to the House of Representatives.

HB 5524: This bill provides the two incumbent utilities (Detroit Edison and Consumers Energy) with the assurance they will retain a major portion of Michigan's electric market, through a limitation on choice electric providers to no more than 10 percent of the overall market.

This bill is now back in the hands of the House, and action is likely to be taken soon. Please take a moment and let your lawmakers know you do not support this return to a monopoly. Click here to write a letter today!

Customer Choice Coalition Mission Statement
The Customer Choice Coalition is a group of associations, businesses and other organizations supporting the ability of customers to choose from many electric providers when purchasing power. Its members include manufacturers and small businesses, building managers and schools, churches and others who support our current electric restructuring system.

Michigan 's electric bills are the highest in the Midwest , and are hurting our state's families, businesses and governments. To help hold down rates, the Customer Choice Coalition supports giving electric customers a choice of many electric providers, just as they have a choice of many telecommunications providers.

Join the Customer Choice Coalition Mailing List!

Legislators must let the public in on energy debate
(Oakland Press, September 3, 2008)
The Michigan Legislature has had before it for some time a wide range of bills to rewrite electric policy in Michigan. Some of the legislation is strongly supported by environmental groups. The bills call for heavy investment in what is considered "greenÓ sources of energy -- wind, water, etc. The goal is to make the state more energy efficient and eventually to free it from its dependence on oil, natural gas and coal -- the carbonbased sources of fuel.

Other proposed bills, generally backed by Michigan's two largest utility companies -- DTE Energy and Consumers Power -- call for construction of nuclear and coal-fueled energy plants. These bill are vehemently opposed by environmentalists, who don't like the dependence on the carbon fuels. (full article)

Mich. residents may pay extra for green power
(Associated Press, September 1, 2008)
Saying it's only fair, Michigan lawmakers plan to raise residential electricity bills and drop business rates so all customers are charged the true cost of their power.

But when it comes to figuring out who should pay what for new renewable energy requirements, the playing field wouldn't be even.

Though residents account for one-third of Detroit Edison's electric sales, they would contribute two-thirds of what Michigan's largest utility could collect from customers for wind and other sources of alternative power under bills that have passed the House and Senate. (full article)

A year after announcing plans to build a new power
(Bay City Times, August 31, 2008)
Consumers Energy is keeping positive about its prospects for building a $2.3 billion power plant in Bay County's Hampton Township.

But a year after the company announced its big building plans, some significant hurdles continue to short circuit the start of the project.

State lawmakers are wrangling right now over a complex rewriting of state energy law that Consumers says is needed to build the plant. The legislation could come to a vote as early as Sept. 9. (full article)

Shine some light on electricity package
(Lansing State Journal, August 26, 2008)
For months, the Legislature has had before it a wide-ranging set of bills to rewrite electric policy in Michigan. The expectation in Lansing is that a small group of lawmakers meeting in secret will soon produce a compromise package, which will be rushed through the Legislature and to Gov. Jennifer Granholm in a matter of days.

Why? What's the hurry over at the Capitol? If Michigan could go these many months without what advocates call vital reform, why can't the public chew over the final deal? (full article)

Residential electric rates to skyrocket under electric remonopolization and renewable energy legislation - CCC Press Release
(August 25, 2008)
As Michigan residents face record national gas, propane and heating oil bills this winter, lawmakers are considering bills that would add huge electric rate hikes to residential electric bills in January while requiring the utilities to do nothing to increase renewable power until 2012. The renewable power plan under consideration would be the most expensive in the nation.

While supporters of the remonopolization and renewable package focus public attention on the final goal of having 10 percent renewable power by 2015, little attention is being put on unnecessary surcharges being put on customer bills due to the legislation, and the delays in providing new renewable power required under the Legislation. (full release)

Granholm: Blame Bishop On Energy
(MIRS, August 22, 2008)
Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM will moderate a town hall meeting on alternative energy at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, but she won't have a renewable package signed into law that she can bring with her.

The Governor said she enlisted Texas oilman (and big Republican donor) T. Boone PICKENS to write a letter to the person she fingered at a press conference today for holding up the process. (full article)

Asleep at the switch
(Jack Lessenberry Essary, August 20, 2008)
Your state legislators (remember them?) do mostly have utter disrespect for your ability to figure out what they are doing to you. That's made a lot easier, as they know very well, because the newspapers don't much cover what they do anymore.

Three months ago, I told you about this wonderful new plan they had to really screw us over the cost of
energy ("Getting jacked again," May 7). The House and the Senate then were quickly moving to pass a
package of what were billed as "renewable energy" bills. (full article)

Lawmakers prepare to raise rates
While voters snooze, pols poised to boost utility bills
(Lansing State Journal, August 19, 2008)
How would you feel if the Legislature and Gov. Jennifer Granholm decided to pass legislation raising the price of gasoline in the state at the request of ExxonMobil?

Now that I have your attention, let's talk about gas - natural gas, and coal and uranium and the electricity Michigan generates from these sources.

Sometime soon, the Legislature is expected to pass some version of legislation to reduce competition in the electric markets. Granholm is expected to sign it. And it's also expected that the average residential user buying power from Consumers Energy or DTE will see their monthly bills rise. One Senate analysis put the increase between 20 percent and 30 percent. (full article)

Flexible rules needed for new energy sources
(Detroit News, August 19, 2008)
Of course Michigan should develop alternative and renewable energy sources. The question is whether it will do so in a cost-effective way that doesn't damage its economic competitiveness.

Michigan is already an expensive state in which to do business. And electricity costs are part of that
higher-than-average cost. With the loss of more than 400,000 jobs in the last few years and an unemployment rate that is the highest in the nation, the state can't afford to further hurt its economic climate. (full article)

Essay: Alternative Energy
(Jack Lessenberry’s Essays and Interviews, August 18, 2008)
From time to time I get attacked for being too liberal.

So let me say that when it comes to the energy legislation now pending in the Michigan legislature, I stand one hundred percent with a conservative economist from Hillsdale College named Gary Wolfram. As far as I can determine he, more than anyone else, sees what an anticonsumer farce both packages of bills are.
(full article)

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