For rural residents who rely on propane heat, they can end up in a jam if they run out of propane. They may feel like they have to pay whatever price is charged to fill up the tank in order to stay warm.
Propane price-gouging is actually against the law. Michigan is part of a MI Propane Plan that addresses the state’s energy needs in anticipation of the eventual shutdown of Enbridge’s Line 5, which supplies over half of the state’s propane. Part of the MI Propane Plan is to protect consumers from price-gouging.
Attorney General Dana Nessel said, “Price-gouging is against the law, and the energy industry is not exempt from those regulations. This office has taken legal action in the past to protect people from excessively high energy prices, and I will not hesitate to do so again to protect the pocketbooks of Michigan’s consumers.”
AmeriGas has been sued by the Michigan Department of the Attorney General for violating the Consumer Protection Act and the case is heading toward trial. The complaint is that AmeriGas doubled their rate for some consumers in the past, which is illegal.
Nessel said she encourages anyone who suspects they are being taken advantage of by an energy supplier to contact her office.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
