2010 Senate Bill 1456 ↩

House Roll Call 516: Passed

To prohibit the Public Service Commission from altering the special "economic development" rates granted by a utility to a particular company. In particular, the bill insulates the special rates granted by Consumers Energy to the Hemlock Semiconductor subsidiary of Dow Corning from a ban on cross-subsidization between residential and commercial/industrial customers; in effect it would cause residential and other business customers to subsidize Hemlock's below-cost rates. This ban on cross-subsidization ("deskewing") was part of <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/2007-HB-5524">a 2008 bill</a> that mostly ended the ability of non-residential customers to buy power from a generator other than Detroit Edison or Consumers Power, essentially restoring their monopoly status. See also <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/SearchLegislation.aspx?CategoryID=0&Keywords=Hemlock&StartMonth=1&StartYear=2001&EndMonth=12&EndYear=2010&Results=50&Laws=True&op=Search">2008 bills</a> that granted millions in tax breaks and subsidies to Hemlock.