DTE Energy ghostwriting comments to push $456 million rate hike

• Michigan regulators found it 'disappointing' that businesses backing DTE Energy's $456.4 million rate hike request had their comments authored by the utility itself
• The Michigan Public Service Commission revealed 16 public comments from DTE-affiliated businesses, with data showing a company spokesperson had a hand in authoring at least four
• The MPSC's decision on the current electric rate case, expected next year, remains pending

Comments submitted by businesses to Michigan regulators supporting DTE Energy's $456.4 million rate hike request appear to have been written by the utility itself, according to identifying data attached to the documents.

On Sept. 30, the Michigan Public Service Commission posted 16 public comments from businesses that work with DTE, calling on the commission to approve the proposed electric rate increase. However, data in the PDF files identify a company spokesperson as the author of at least four of these comments, and many of them share textual similarities that suggest a shared template was used to craft the letters.

"DTE appears to be ghostwriting comments that create the illusion of support for its plan to raise rates for customers," said Karlee Weinmann, research and communications manager for the Energy and Policy Institutes, an industry watchdog group. "This looks like DTE trying to find more palatable messengers to promote its agenda."

MPSC spokesperson Matt Helms said the MPSC offers the opportunity for comment to give the public a chance to express their point of view, and assumes that comments filed reflect the sentiments of the commenters. 

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“It is disappointing to learn that comments purporting to come from interested members of the public were in fact authored by the same utility corporation whose application was pending before the Commission,” Helms said. He didn't say if there were any internal controls to check for or bar comments that were written by parties other than those who submitted them. 

The rate hike, which would add $135 to the average customer's annual energy bills, sparked a backlash from ratepayers complaining of long and frequent outages and regular rate increases.

An audit ordered by the MPSC found that DTE was in the bottom 25% of utilities for the Customer Average Interruption Data Index (CAIDI), a measure of the time it takes to restore power. Over 13% of DTE’s customers dealt with four or more power outages in 2023, and 45% experienced an outage lasting more than eight hours.

The MPSC approved a $368 million electric rate increase for DTE in 2023 and the company filed a $266 million gas rate hike request in January. A decision on the current electric rate case may not come until next year. 

Advocate: DTE lacks ‘organic’ support, leverages ‘power imbalance’ over vendors

The revelation that DTE is writing comments for businesses in support of its own rate case adds to long-standing concerns about the individuals and groups that advocate for the company.

"It is not surprising that DTE tells businesses what to say in support of them," Amy Bandyk, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, told Planet Detroit. "DTE is, for the most part, very unpopular among residents in its service territory due to years of substandard service. The support they do have doesn’t seem to be organic."

The Detroit Metro Times previously reported on donations from DTE to churches and nonprofits in Metro Detroit whose leaders routinely show up to defend the company at public hearings and in online comments.

DTE didn't deny they had a hand in crafting the Sept. 30 comments but said businesses submitting comments had asked for it.

"At the request of members of DTE’s supplier council, DTE provided a template outlining the value of investments in the DTE Electric rate case," DTE spokesperson Jill Wilmot said in a statement to Planet Detroit. "These stakeholders and their employees–like tree trimmers, lineman and restoration contractors–are significantly impacted by rate case outcomes."

While these companies may benefit from a rate hike and an increase in businesses from DTE, Weinman said that the utility's work on the comments is still a cause for concern because of its leverage over these businesses.

"There is an inherent and obvious power imbalance between these companies, which rely on DTE for cash flow, and DTE, which has the leeway to choose which firms it pays for work," she said.

Planet Detroit contacted several businesses that submitted documents in support of DTE for comment but did not receive a response.

Documents show evidence of DTE ghostwriter

It's unclear exactly how much of the documents submitted to the MPSC were written by DTE staff, but authorship metadata and textual similarities suggest a high level of coordination.

Weinmann discovered the identifying information by looking at the PDFs' "document properties" under the File tab. The document properties identify the author as Lisa M Bolla, a senior communications strategist for DTE, who appears to have authored comments from four companies. Bolla has also written press releases describing the utility's work with Michigan businesses.

Planet Detroit's analysis of the 16 documents posted on Sept. 30 found most share similar language. For example, eight comments contain the exact same sentences: “I’m writing to express my support for DTE’s electric rate case. DTE has a 15-year commitment to put Michigan first by prioritizing spending with in-state businesses. This commitment creates jobs and helps hard-working companies like mine succeed.”

Thirteen comments contain the words "ripple effect," 10 say, "DTE encourages us to pay it forward," and 13 refer to DTE's "mentoring" or "mentorship.”

MPSC says comments won’t impact decision

At a September Detroit public hearing, MPSC chair Dan Scripps said public comments like the ones submitted by businesses wouldn't directly impact the commission's decision in the rate case.

“Unlike the evidence that’s part of the record, we’re not able to actually base a decision on comments,” he said. “They’re not subject to cross-examination and the other sort of rigors, but it gives a sense of where the community is, and I think that’s valuable as well.”

Nearly 400 such comments have been posted by members of the public on the MPSC’s website for this rate case so far. And Weinmann said she thinks the comments have sway.

“The evidence we have here suggests that DTE understands that public comments are important,” Weinmann said.

This article first appeared on Planet Detroit and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.