A public forum is set for next month in Benton Harbor over Indiana Michigan Power’s rate hike request and long-term plans for meeting the electrical needs of the area. The Michigan Public Service Commission will hold the meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, October 7 at the Blue Lecture Hall on the Benton Harbor campus of Lake Michigan College.
I&M filed a plan with the MPSC this summer regarding $478 million in improvements to the Cook Nuclear Plant along with replacing over 1,200 poles, 40 miles of wire and other equipment, and modernizing the energy grid with more high-tech equipment to cut down on power outages. The plan calls for increasing its base rates for electricity by nearly 19%, which would be about $36 a month for average customers.
Formal comments by attendees will become part of the public record, and a transcript of the meeting will be filed in the case docket. Comments also can be mailed to Executive Secretary, Michigan Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 30221, Lansing, MI 48909, or emailed to mpscedockets@michigan.gov. Please include the case number (U-20591) in correspondence.
People who have mobility, visual, hearing, or other disabilities should contact the MPSC’s Executive Secretary at 517-284-8090 in advance of the forum to request assistance.
