State utility regulators approved a reduced electric rate increase for We Energies on Thursday, marking the sixth consecutive hike for customers since 2020 even as Public Service Commission Chair Summer Strand blamed President Trump and Republican lawmakers for higher energy costs.
The three-member commission, after a meeting lasting more than 10 hours, cut the size of the utility’s request for 2027 and 2028 but did not specify the final impact on bills. A written order with exact rates is expected in the coming weeks. We Energies had sought an overall electric increase of roughly 10% through 2028, including about 15% for residential customers, which would have added roughly $15 to typical monthly bills in 2027 and another $8 to $9 in 2028.
During the meeting, Strand criticized federal and state policy and tried to blame President Trump and Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature for the rate increases she was about to approve.
“The person running the country is instigating geopolitical conflicts and unleashing erratic, harmful and in some instances illegal energy policies,” she said. “The majority party that has been in power since 2011 has [also] refused to consider beneficial changes to the governing statutes and code.”
All three current commissioners were appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, and since 2020, statewide residential energy bills have risen 24.6%.
“Our customers count on us every day for the energy they need, and we recognize our responsibility to continue providing safe and reliable energy, while keeping customer bills as low as possible,” We Energies spokesman Brendan Conway said after the Commission’s decision. “During this months-long process we worked with customer groups and Commission staff to reduce costs to customers by tens of millions of dollars.”
The decision arrives after Democrats gained a governing trifecta in Wisconsin for the first time in more than a decade on a platform of affordability, which included reducing energy costs. The final impact of the Democrat-controlled Commission’s ruling on We Energies customers’ bills will be outlined in its forthcoming written order.
