LANSING – The

Michigan Public Service Commission approved two settlements Thursday resulting

in increases for natural gas customers of Michigan Gas Utilities Corporation

and electricity customers of Upper Peninsula Power Company.

Both are

related to reconciling each respective company’s 2014 energy optimization

revenues and expenses, as well as to revise surcharges.

Effective

August 1, residential customers using 100 ccf of natural gas a month will see

an increase of 11 cents on their monthly bills (case U-17842).

Also effective

August 1, residential customers using 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month

with the Upper Peninsula Power Company will see an increase of 5 cents on their

monthly bills (case U-17835).

LOW-INCOME

ENERGY ASSISTANCE FUND SURCHARGE: Utility customers and others will have an

opportunity to comment on the Public Service Commission’s proposed 98-cent

monthly surcharge for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund during the PSC’s

public comment period running through July 16.

Customers

currently pay 97 cents each month for the fund, a figure on the number of

meters provided by utilities that intend to participate in the program, the PSC

said in a statement. Utilities that do not participate in the program are

prohibited from shutting off service to any residential customers from November

1 to April 15 for nonpayment of a delinquent account.

Utilities

that filed notice of their intent to participate in the program are: Northern

States Power Company, Alpena Power Company, Consumers Energy Company, DTE

Electric Company, Indiana Michigan Power Company, Alger Delta Cooperative

Electric Association, Midwest Energy Cooperative, Presque Isle Electric and Gas

Co-op and Thumb Electric Cooperative.

Utilities

that filed notice of their intent to opt-out of the program are: Bayfield

Electric Cooperative, Upper Peninsula Power Company, Wisconsin Public Service

Corporation, Wisconsin Electric Power Company, d/b/a We Energies, Cloverland

Electric Cooperative, Great Lakes Energy Cooperative, Ontonagon County Rural

Electrification Association, HomeWorks Tri-County Electric Cooperative and

Cherryland Electric Cooperative.

The Michigan

Municipal Electric Association also filed a notice that all of its members

would be opting out.

Comments

should reference the case number, case U-17377, and must be received no later than July 16. Written

comments should be mailed to: Executive Secretary, Michigan Public Service

Commission, P.O. Box 30221, Lansing, MI 48909. Electronic comments may be

emailed to [email protected].

All information submitted to the Commission is considered public information.

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