As the temperature has climbed this summer, so have energy bills—and frustrations. These higher costs are driven by more than extreme summer temperatures. Factors like outdated power grids and a recent $217 million rate hike approved for DTE Energy by state regulators earlier this year are also at play.
Nicholas Schroeck, dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, and an expert in environmental law and justice, joined The Metro’s Robyn Vincent to discuss energy affordability and sustainability and what residents can do about it.
Editor’s Note: DTE Energy and Consumers Energy are financial supporters of WDET.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.
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Angelique Peterson Mayberry resigned earlier this month to complete Irma Clark-Coleman’s term on the Wayne County Commission. Clark-Coleman died in June.
Chalkbeat Detroit reports 16 people will be interviewed during special board meetings held July 21-24. The candidates include: Pageant Atterberry, Kenya Avant, Sonja Beasley-Hall, The Rev. Dr. Steven Bland Jr., Whitney Clarke, Jonathan Demers, Debra Duren, Dr. Bonnie Ferrell, Bessie Harris, Dr. Shinese Johnson, Brandy Mitchell, Aliya Moore, Ashley Pearson, Traci Ricks, Jeremiah Steen and The Rev. Curtis Williams.
Applications for the position were open to the public and closed on July 9. The board plans to score each candidate during interviews then vote to fill the seat on July 28. The candidate selected will serve on the board through 2026.
Other headlines for Tuesday, July 22, 2025:
Low income Consumers Energy customers can apply for up to $500 to pay past due energy bills through September 30. The State Emergency Relief funds are available to households with income within 150% of the federal poverty rate. Last year 540,000 customers shared more than 38 million dollars in energy assistance.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has launched a Faucet and Filter Safety Net Program. Eligible households may be able to replace a faucet or get a lead-reducing filter. Some residents may qualify for a home visit for a visual assessment of their plumbing or get assistance applying for the Medicaid Lead Abatement program.
The Lexus Velodrome was re-dubbed the Mad Track Arena on Monday. The indoor multi-sport complex first opened in January 2018 and partnered with the Detroit Lexus Dealers Association to offer bike programs. Detroit Fitness Foundation CEO Dale Hughes says thousands of youth in the city have learned to ride a bike, taken a spin on the Olympic-caliber indoor racetrack or become racers themselves. The arena features the only indoor velodrome of its kind in the U.S.
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The owner of a shut-down nuclear power plant in southwest Michigan could try to bring it back online by the end of the year.
To make that happen, the company, Holtec International, will need federal regulators to approve a license that would allow it to change the status of the Palisades nuclear plant from decommissioning to operational. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it plans to decide what to do with that request this week.
Nick Culp is a senior manager of governmental affairs and communications at Holtec, which bought the plant as it entered the decommissioning phase.
“There’s a difference in oversight that comes with that, but also importantly, we can then receive new fuel for the site. We’d also be able to start turning some plant systems and equipment back over into an operational setting,” Culp said.
With the decision, Holtec would still need to get through more steps to actually get its status updated. The company predicts it could meet those new requirements by August 25.
Aside from that, however, Holtec would need the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to sign off on three requests from the company to change its license. One of those involves the use of steam generator tube sleeving.
Culp compared that to putting a tube within a tube to add an extra layer of safety. He said Holtec started the sleeve repairs early in the process, with the knowledge of the NRC.
That concerns Beyond Nuclear, an environmental coalition opposing the restart of the plant, which had stopped running in 2022. Beyond Nuclear is working to block the sleeving work using the federal regulatory process.
Kevin Kamps, a radioactive waste specialist with the group, said doing the repairs early could give Holtec an advantage before the NRC.
“The thinking being that, well, if it’s a problem, then the NRC will call them on it and not allow them to proceed to actually restart. Well, the experience of decades shows that the NRC, once the work is done, the facts are on the ground, they’re not going to reverse the company, no matter how extreme those risks are,” Kamps said.
Kamps called the sleeving “Band-Aid fixes” to get around replacing the actual steam generators themselves, something that could get expensive. He said Beyond Nuclear plans to take the matter to court if the coalition doesn’t succeed at stopping NRC approval for the sleeving.
The NRC said it has been following “established rules,” and that it expects to finish reviewing the request by September 30. The agency confirmed it has “been observing and independently assessing Holtec’s activities related to steam generator repairs.”
Last week, Beyond Nuclear received a copy of a routine restart inspection report from NRC regulators that referenced the sleeving repairs. Monday morning, Beyond Nuclear issued a scathing press release decrying the NRC’s knowledge that the repairs were going on while the licensing process was still playing out.
“We’re taking part in the NRC’s licensing proceeding in good faith. But the NRC’s good faith is very much in question. And certainly, Holtec’s as well,” Kamps said.
But, like the NRC, Culp said Holtec has been doing everything by the book and reiterated anything would still need the agency to sign off before the plant becomes operational again.
“To suggest that we’re outside of that I think is a very misguided interpretation of how the regulatory process works,” Culp said.
If Holtec succeeds, Palisades would be the first nuclear plant in the country to start back up after ending operations for decommissioning. It’s received hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal and state governments to support the restart efforts.
A ballot campaign plans to launch in July to ask voters to ban political donations from committees affiliated with utility monopolies and from businesses with substantial state contracts.
A coalition of progressive organizations are behind the campaign for a voter-initiated law to reign in the influence of utilities and insurance companies with market dominance as well as contractors that do more than $250,000 in business annually with the state, which would appear to include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan — a prolific political donor.
“This isn’t just another policy tweak,” said Sean McBrearty, Michigan director for Clean Water Action, one of the groups backing the proposal. “It’s a line in the sand. We want to stop corporations from buying off our democracy.”
The Michiganders for Money Out of Politics campaign said Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, in particular, have used their clout to fend off efforts to award bigger paybacks to customers for power losses.
“One of the biggest reasons we don’t see progress in Lansing is because too many politicians are bought and paid for,” said Ken Whittaker with Michigan United. “The political will to fix this mess just isn’t there, but that’s by design. We’re not new to this.”
But they say it will be very similar to legislation that has stalled in the Legislature already.
The campaign said utility influence has held back reforms that would improve service and make rates more affordable. Spokespersons for two large Michigan utilities said their companies behave ethically. They said donation decisions are made independently by political action committees run by employees and shareholders.
Statements from Consumers Energy and DTE Energy said they and their corporate political action committees strictly abide by existing campaign finance laws. DTE spokesperson Ryan Lowry noted the utility agreed to publicly disclose all political donations of $5,000 or more as part of a 2023 rate settlement agreement with the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Lowry also said political action committee decisions are made by employees and shareholders.
“These disclosures showcase DTE’s commitment to our customers and communities we serve, helping us meet our aspiration of being best in the world and best for the world,” he said in an emailed statement. “The political contributions the company makes are supported by the DTE voluntary employee PAC or DTE shareholders — not from customer revenue.”
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WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
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