Michigan AG Dana Nessel Calls DTE's Conditional Rate-Hike Pause Offer a 'Ransom Note'

DTE Energy filed for a $474.3 million electric rate increase in April 2026, which would raise residential rates by 9.7% — more than double a separate 4.1% increase referenced in coverage of the same period. Paired with the filing, DTE indicated it could pause further rate-hike requests for two years (through 2028) if it secures a “constructive” outcome in the current rate case, the Oracle/OpenAI Saline Township data center comes online by the end of 2027 on schedule, and DTE receives unspecified additional regulatory approvals.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel publicly rejected the framing: “This isn’t a commitment, it’s a ransom note.” Fuller quote/context, per Michigan Advance (April 24, 2026): “DTE only offers a break in rate hikes if they win some other, unnamed data center approvals, and their Saline data center comes online with no delay. This isn’t a commitment, it’s a ransom note.” Nessel’s office formally moved to intervene in the rate case (Michigan.gov press release, April 28, 2026) and separately said it has been unable to review DTE’s underlying Saline data-center power contracts to verify the company’s claimed affordability benefits.

Context — two prior MPSC-approved DTE increases in the same general period: MPSC approved a $242.2 million (some outlets: $242.4M) increase unanimously, effective March 5, 2026, raising typical residential bills by about $4.23/month, framed around grid-reliability upgrades. A separate, earlier $217.4 million increase (effective date cited as February 6; exact year needs re-verification — likely 2025 given the sequence) raised typical bills by about $4.61/month and was less than half of DTE’s original $456.4 million ask in that case. The pending $474.3 million filing described above is a third, larger, and not-yet-decided request layered on top of these two already-approved increases — the stacking pattern is itself part of the ratepayer-capture story tying DTE’s rate base to hyperscale data-center buildout in the county.