DTE lines up another gas rate increase

Driving the news: The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a $74.5 million increase for DTE Gas last week, raising a typical residential bill by about $2.87 a month.

• Later that day, DTE filed notice signaling its intention to seek another gas rate increase in November. The amount of that future request has not yet been disclosed.

Context: This is a natural gas rate case, separate from DTE Electric, which has faced mounting criticism after several recent outages.

Catch up quick: DTE Electric's summer outages hit customers repeatedly since July:

• Nearly 400,000 lost power over the July 4 weekend.
• Nearly 500,000 later that month.
• More than 400,000 during severe storms earlier this month.

What they're saying: Attorney General Dana Nessel criticized the timing of last week's filing, calling it part of an "endless and unsustainable cycle" of rate increases.

The other side: DTE says the notice is a required first step at least 60 days before filing a rate request and does not change customers' bills.

• The utility says it plans to detail in November the investments needed to modernize its gas system and maintain safe, reliable service.

"We understand that customers are facing higher costs in many parts of their lives, and we know we have a responsibility to carefully plan investments, manage our costs and keep bills as low as possible," Renee Tomina, president and chief operating officer, DTE Gas, said in a statement.

What's next: DTE is expected to file the full gas rate case on or around Nov. 13.