Michigan U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Waterford Township, wants the federal government to step in when the state’s monopoly utilities struggle to restore power following severe weather.

Stevens recently introduced the Prolonged Power Outage Relief Act to expand federal disaster assistance to include outages impacting more than 25 businesses or homes for more than 48 hours.

The amendment to the Small Business Act would allow those impacted to apply for low-interest loans to repair or replace appliances, machinery, or equipment or to purchase generators and other power sources to mitigate future outages.

“After ice storms and tornadoes swept our state earlier this month, it is more important than ever to make sure Michiganders have the support they need to continue to care for their families,” Stevens said in a statement.

“That’s why I introduced the Prolonged Power Outage Relief Act, because at a time where prices are on the rise, families and small businesses shouldn’t have to shoulder the cost of power outages alone,” she said. “Keeping businesses open and families fed is key to ensuring that storms don’t cause long-term financial hardship for Michiganders, and I’m proud to reintroduce this legislation to get the job done.”

The legislation comes as some Michiganders remain without power more than two weeks after an ice storm ravaged northern Michigan March 28-20, overlapping with a storm that produced 14 tornados in the southern half of the state. Stevens introduced the same legislation in January 2024.

“Prolonged power outages are not just inconveniences – they represent a significant threat to Michigan’s, and the country’s, economy,” said Brad Williams, Vice President of Government Relations for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Every hour of downtime for a manufacturing facility translates to lost production, lost wages, and lost tax revenue.”

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Michigan already offers a power outage credit that’s automatically applied to the bills of customers without power for a specific period of time, from 16 to 96 hours, depending on the cause. That credit, however, doesn’t apply to electric cooperatives or municipal utilities, CBS News reports.

Dan Scripps, chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission that oversees utilities, supports Stevens’ legislation to address an ongoing problem in Michigan he blames on climate change.

“The historic ice storm in northern Michigan, coupled with 10 confirmed tornadoes in the southern and central Lower Peninsula, underscore how the state’s energy customers face growing challenges from increasingly frequent and severe weather brought about by climate change,” Scripps said. “We appreciate Congresswoman Stevens’ efforts to ensure Michigan’s residential and business customers have more resources to help them recover and rebuild from the impact of these storms and power outages.”

The MPSC, comprised of three members appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in February approved a plan that could require Consumers Energy and DTE, the state’s monopoly energy providers, to pay fines of up to $10 million if the companies don’t cut down on power outages in the coming years, a move inspired by roughly 934,000 customers who lost power in a Feb. 2023 ice storm, according to MLive.

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The plan, which would provide the $10 million as performance bonus if outages decline, followed an audit by Liberty Consulting Group released in September that found both DTE and Consumers were “worse than average” in terms of power outages, restoration delays, and tree-trimming in both 2022 and 2023.

The Liberty report trailed analysis of data from the research nonprofit Climate Central last year that showed Michigan residents suffer more and longer power outages than all but two states, despite paying 11% more for their monthly bill than the U.S. average, Bridge Michigan reports.

The analysis found only Texas and California – the top two states for population – have recorded more major power outages impacting 50,000-plus customers than Michigan, putting the state ahead of all others in the Great Lakes region and states routinely impacted by hurricanes, such as Louisiana and Florida.

Despite the lackluster service, both Consumers and DTE have requested double digit annual rate increases in recent years. The repeated requests are largely centered on complying with Whitmer’s climate goals, which mandate half of the state’s energy from “clean sources” by 2030, and all energy from “clean sources” by 2040.

As Michiganders shivered in the cold without power from the ice storm, Consumers submitted its latest rate hike request – a $154 million increase, which came a week before its last approved request kicked in on April 4.

“Consumers Energy just got the green-light to raise electric rates, and one week later they’re back with their hands out before putting any of their new earnings to work for their customers,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “My office will continue to hold Consumers Energy and DTE accountable before the Commission, and expose again and again the unjustifiable costs they try, perennially, to foist upon their bill-paying customers.”

While it’s unclear how Stevens’ Prolonged Power Outage Relief Act will fare in a lower chamber helmed by Republicans, Whitmer is also lobbying President Donald Trump for a presidential emergency declaration for 12 northern Michigan counties hit by the March ice storm.

That designation would qualify the state for “up to $5 million in immediate public assistance to support emergency efforts,” according to a statement from Whitmer’s office.

“I declared a state of emergency, deployed the national guard, and took key steps to expedite recovery. But our work is just beginning,” Whitmer said.

“I met with President Trump and submitted a request for a federal emergency declaration that will support local communities and counties with more resources as they recover from this devastating storm,” she said.