DTE Energy Chairman and CEO Jerry Norcia indicated on a recent earnings call that the company would pursue another electric rate case this spring, potentially hiking electric bills for customers just hit with a $368,000,000.00 rate increase in December.

That increase added $6.51 to the average bill. DTE Energy took in $1,400,000,000.00 in earnings in 2023, an increase from $1,200,000,000.00 in 2023.

Chris Bzdok, an environmental attorney{…]told Outlier in December that spending money on tree trimming, for example, only allows the utility to recoup the maintenance cost. However, if the utility spends the same amount of money on new equipment, it can be added to the company’s rate base, earning it their rate of return on investment, including 50% equity for stockholders. […] These shareholders include DTE’s top management, who receive millions in stock options.