Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a notice of intervention (PDF) before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) in the case concerning DTE’s request for approval of two special contracts to service an anticipated data center. In her notice, the Attorney General urges the MPSC to treat the requests as a contested case and conduct public hearings on the matter, citing significant unknown details surrounding the project and the potential financial risks to utility ratepayers across DTE’s service territory. A formal public hearing with discovery and filed testimony will allow parties, such as the Attorney General, the opportunity to verify protections and cost reductions to customers proposed by the utility corporation and provide the Commission with a full evidentiary record to decide whether the special contract is prudent and reasonable.
“Reducing electric bills and making energy affordable is essential,” said Nessel. “That’s why I’m asking the Commission to hold a public hearing on this case – to make sure DTE customers are not stuck footing the bill for a data center that never comes to fruition or uses far less electricity than projected. In either scenario, the massive costs of building the data center won’t just disappear. The costs would be passed on to ratepayers, driving up bills for families. A public hearing is the only way to ensure transparency, give customers all the facts, and confirm DTE’s proposal truly protects Michiganders before any approval is granted.”