Rashida Tlaib: “DTE Energy, an investor-owned utility monopoly in southeast Michigan, charges some of the highest rates in our Nation…”

“DTE Energy, an investor-owned utility monopoly in southeast Michigan, charges some of the highest rates in our Nation but provides some of the most unreliable service. They also carry out hundreds of thousands of cruel utility shutoffs per year. Over 100,000 DTE customers in southeast Michigan were forced to go days without power and heat during extreme cold and hot weather. This is because, instead of investing in reliability, DTE invests in profits and pays their shareholders and executives first. DTE's own CEO makes $10 million a year while families in southeast Michigan are going without power, again, during some of the coldest days this past week. Investor-owned utilities like DTE have failed to invest in the infrastructure upgrades to the grid that are necessary to prevent these outages. Instead, they are choosing to maximize profits for their shareholders while spending millions on campaign contributions to avoid real accountability in Lansing. My residents are sick and tired of wealthy corporate executives lining their pockets while our neighbors are exploited and price gouged. That is why I am proud to have introduced a resolution with Congresswoman Cori Bush and Congressman Jamaal Bowman. It is a resolution recognizing the human right to utilities. It is important that we understand that access to utilities is not a privilege. It is a fundamental human right.…”