Press Release | Sept. 9, 2025 | Originally published by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters

LANSING, Mich., Sept. 9, 2025 — State lawmakers, community advocates and impacted residents on Tuesday announced the first-ever Ratepayer Bill of Rights in the Michigan Legislature — a bold initiative to protect consumers from skyrocketing energy prices, poor service, out-of-control utility executive pay and the undue influence Big Energy CEOs wield in Lansing.

Michiganders pay the highest energy costs in the Midwest for the longest amount of time out of power in the country. At the press conference, lawmakers announced plans to introduce a full Ratepayer Bill of Rights to protect consumers in Michigan from the state’s monopoly utilities, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy.

“We’re putting all utility companies, including DTE and Consumers, in this state on notice that we are standing up for people; we’re standing up for families who can’t pay the bills and are fed up with outages and shutoffs,” said state Rep. Donavan McKinney (D-Detroit). “I’m here to stand up for Michigan residents and constituents in my district who can’t keep up with the rising energy costs and unreliable service they have no choice but to pay for.”

The first-ever Ratepayer Bill of Rights will do the following:

  • Guarantee Michiganders the right to fair compensation when the power goes out
  • Ensure residents no longer pay the highest energy costs in the Midwest for some of the worst service in the country
  • Protect residents from paying for CEO bonuses and private jets while being left in the dark
  • Ban political contributions to state lawmakers from the utilities they’re supposed to oversee on behalf of the people
  • Ensure residents can generate their own reliable energy through solar arrays on their homes or with their neighbors

“Michiganders across this state are faced with the cost of everything going up, with parents out there struggling to piece together enough to pay the bills each month,” said state Sen. Sue Shink (D-Ann Arbor). “One of the biggest hurdles families are facing is the skyrocketing cost of energy. Michiganders — whether they are a Republican, Independent or Democrat — want more accountability and to know that lawmakers are setting energy policy, not utility CEOs and their lobbyists.”

“DTE and Consumers Energy have a responsibility to us as taxpayers and customers — and they are clearly failing to meet the mark,” said state Rep. Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn). “Dearborn and Dearborn Heights have been regularly impacted by rolling blackouts — even during ‘blue sky days.’ Utility CEOs and executives have no business getting huge bonuses for subpar service while our energy bills skyrocket.”

“As a mom who has had to budget carefully and work hard to provide, I understand firsthand what year-over-year rate hikes mean for working families,” said state Rep. Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids). “Every increase takes more money off the kitchen table and makes it harder to keep up. I hear it every day from my constituents in Grand Rapids, the bills are just too high. That’s why I’m refusing to take a dime of big utility money and why I’m committed to holding these companies accountable in Lansing. It’s time we put people first.”

“Churches and households constantly face outages, many not even weather-related,” said Rev. Frank W. Jackson IV from United Christian Church Detroit and affiliate of Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES). “As congregations, we bear witness to this suffering firsthand. Our faith compels us to speak out when people’s lives and dignity are on the line. A key part of that is taking a collective stand to fight back against being overcharged by monopoly utility companies for unreliable service.”

“Energy affordability is a major issue in this state and it’s not going away — it’s only getting worse,” said Scott Holiday, executive director of Detroit Action. “The missing component here has been a Ratepayer Bill of Rights that forces our Legislature and governor to step up and do their jobs.”

The Ratepayer Bill of Rights is being launched by the coalition Our Bills Are Too Damn High, which includes lawmakers, Detroit Action, MOSES, Michigan United, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Clean Water Action, and others.

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This press release has been reformatted to comply with the Michigan House Democrats’ style and formatting guidelines. The content remains unchanged from the original publication.