https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/07/us-utilities-fund-groups-against-public-power-lobby
BTW, DTE holds about $25 Billion of DEBT on its Balance Sheet and A2's share is about $660 Million. If you think you can escape paying for grid related debt by sticking with DTE, I got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you! The best part, when that debt is paid off, Ann Arbor will own nothing.
A2REC--a front for $1.8 million in DTE ratepayer money--was quoted in a recent Mlive article (https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2026/05/dte-pours-18m-into-group-opposing-public-takeover-of-its-power-grid-in-ann-arbor.html) making the following claims:
"...the new opposition group argues a city takeover would drive up Ann Arbor utility bills 30-40% right off the bat, while requiring years of litigation and more than $1 billion to pull off, hurting reliability and the city’s transition to clean energy."
"A small utility with fewer customers is “costlier, at every level,” it argues, pointing to the loss of efficiencies that come with a larger provider and big costs likely involved with the legal fight that would be necessary to yank the system out of DTE’s control."
The chart above puts the lie to most of the cited claims made by DTE through its front group A2REC and its paid mercenary engineering firm Charles Rivers Associates. One of those 24 Lower Michigan MEUs, Chelsea, MI charges Residential customers roughly 40% less for electricity (https://findenergy.com/providers/chelsea-michigan-electric-utility/). These folks are heavy on projection because it is actually DTE that is habitually charging Residential 30-40% more (https://findenergy.com/providers/dte-energy/). DTE raised Residential rates almost 4% per year between 2008 and 2024. Meanwhile, those 24 Lower Michigan MEUs (all smaller than A2 but collectively consume 3 times the energy) raised their rates on average less than 2.5% per year during the same period.
The chart above shows DTE on track to cost A2 $8.5 Billion over the next 20 years while if A2 had the 24 MEU rates, we would be on track to pay $4.6 Billion. The claim will be made that those 24 MEUs have been around for over 100 years and what they do can't be done in A2--hogwash! The best model we have for what an initial A2 MEU would look like is those 24 MEUs. But of course, DTE has 8.5 Billion reasons for wanting people in A2 to think otherwise. As far as the alleged $1 Billion in upfront cost, the city's Phase I study (https://www.a2gov.org/media/kuynueem/ann-arbor-renewable-energy-report-final.pdf) said the cost could be as low as $281 Million.
Finally, here is some info most people probably have never heard of in regard to the condemnation of DTE's assets under Eminent Domain laws, it's called "Quick Take". Here is how it could play out, A2 puts $350 Million into a fund administered by a court and then takes over the assets. DTE would be allowed to either accept the amount or prolong litigation to receive a higher amount. But in the mean time, A2's MEU is collecting about $130 Million per year to start. A court could later rule more is owed but that would just be a cost of doing business by then. I am not saying it will play out this way, The point I want to make is that this is an option our new MEU Board should consider. Options like this have not been presented to the public and the public will never get to explore options like this without creating its new board. We need an elected Board accountable to voters to rely on when getting the facts. Getting your info from DTE via A2REC and Charles Rivers Associates is something Ann Arbor cannot afford.
