Michigan Governor Pushing for New Legislation for Electric Utility Companies

When a resident of Bay City, Michigan, died after his power was shut off by Bay City Electric Light & Power's use of a device called a "limiter", 93-year-old Marvin E. Schur froze to death and suffered hypothermia from temperatures that were below 32 degrees in his home. His body was found on January 17, 2009.

The limiter device trips when a certain level of power has been reached and can only be reset by the owner going outside the home to do so. After the utility company had restricted his electric use by a "limiter" on January 13, 2009 that kept electric from being used in the home, there was apparently no effort to contact Mr. Schur personally to make sure he knew how the device operated, how to reset it, and neighbors said he seldom went outside in the wintertime due to the cold.

However, some changes may be coming in the use of limiters as Governor Jennifer Granholm and state legislators are pushing the Michigan Public Service Commission to adopt new regulations banning the use of the limiters on households with unemployed workers and many residents with low income. The new rules will have fresh safeguards and steps to allow residents to keep their utility on provided they pay part of their bill each month. Another protection will be to keep power from being shutoff between the months of March 31 through April 30 to avoid another death such as Mr. Schur suffered.

The unfortunate part of the story is that the ban, if passed, will not affect the municipality in which Mr. Schur lived since the Michigan Public Service Commission does not have jurisdiction over municipal utilities such as the one that put the power-limiting device on Marvin Schur's electric meter in Bay City. Unless Bay City Electric Light & Power agrees to adopt the same rules that are being legislated, more deaths like Mr. Schur's are going to occur.

Many people around the entire country are blaming Bay City for what happened. What is more inexcusable is that the Bay City commissioners, after listening to complaints about the death of Marvin Schur, moments later approved a 3 percent increase in electric rates, raising electric bills even higher for those having difficulty in getting their electric bills paid. To say this is crass, tactless, and ridiculous behavior is an understatement. These commissioners are just as guilty of killing Mr. Schur as the Bay City Electric Light & Power Company - and are hard at work to try to do it again to another resident.

What is even more appalling after the death of Mr. Schur is the action of Iowa. The state of Iowa has asked for specific rules regarding the use of limiters and it wants to expand the usage of these devices. Although they are looking to have an upgraded version that will automatically reset, Jerry McKim, chief of the Bureau of Energy Assistance, Iowa Department of Human Rights division said, "It's a pretty safe bet someone's going to die from this."

Many fear that if this is allowed, other utilities will also start using limiters and the chances of more deaths occurring seem to have little effect on stopping the usage of these devices.

Back in Bay City, Michigan, others are starting to note that Bay City Electric Light & Power is the only utility that aggressively turns off power in the wintertime and is facing scrutiny over their practices. As Bay City Mayor Charles M. Brunner stated, "We're the ones that did the limiter and it tripped. As the chief elected official, I certainly feel some responsibility for this."

"Yes, Mr. Mayor, you, the commissioners, all other elected officials, and most certainly the Bay City Electric Light & Power ARE responsible for the death of Marvin Schur and any other person who dies because of power shutoffs."

The big question remains.

How many deaths does it take to equal a dollar profit for utility companies, especially that of the Bay City Electric Light & Power Company?

Sources:

Ban all winter power shutoffs, then sell city utility, by The Bay City Times, February 01, 2009

Mich. to ban power limiters after man's death, By David Eggert, Wed Feb 4, 2009

Bay City stricter about limiting power than other municipal utilities, officials say, by Ryan J. Stanton, February 01, 2009