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Consumers Energy Gets Approval for Rate Increase: Natural Gas Bills to Rise By 75 Cents

Posted on: Thursday, 11 May 2006, 06:07 CDT

By Alejandro Bodipo-Memba, Detroit Free Press

May 11--Consumers Energy residential customers will pay an average of 75 cents a month more for natural gas, following the Michigan Public Service Commission interim rate increase of $18.4 million for the utility.

A typical Consumers Energy customer enrolled in the company's BudgetWise billing plan, which equalizes the payments throughout the year, pays about $70 a month for natural gas.

Consumers Energy is a unit of CMS Energy Corp. in Jackson.

The regulatory agency said it approved the rate hike to inject additional revenue into Consumers Energy and to help ensure that the utility continues to provide reliable service to its 1.7 million customers. The MPSC also said the change is effective immediately.

Officials at Consumers said they were studying the MPSC decision and didn't have a comment Wednesday.

"Today's increase is 75% less than the company requested in interim relief," MPSC Chairman J. Peter Lark said. "The new rate level reflects the increased cost of natural gas and the continuation of safety-related expenditures."

Last July, Consumers filed for a natural gas rate increase in the amount of $132.4 million a year. A final decision in that case is expected by the end of the year.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Detroit Free Press

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Source: Detroit Free Press

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