A major incident at a Consumers Energy gas compressor station in Southeast Michigan has triggered an emergency appeal from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asking residents from one end of the state to the other to voluntarily limit their use of natural gas over the next several days. Her appeal comes on the heels of an appeal from Consumers Energy officials who asked for the same response earlier in the evening Wednesday night, January 30th, 2019.
Gov. Whitmer released the following statement in response to that call by Consumers Energy for all customers to voluntarily reduce their gas usage as a result of the unexpected gas incident in Macomb Countyh.
The Governor said, “I’m coming to you now to ask for your help. Due to extremely high demand for natural gas with these record low temperatures and a facility incident, Consumers Energy has asked that everyone who is able to turn down their thermostats through Friday at noon so we can all get through this with minimal harm.”
She added her specific request, saying, “So please: turn your thermostat down to 65 degrees or lower and amplify this message by reposting and making sure your friends, relatives and neighbors who are getting ready for bed to turn theirs down too.”
Gov. Whitmer issued the call shortly before 10:30pm Wednesday night, adding, “You can play a role in helping people across the state survive these extreme temperatures. Please do. We’re calling on every Michigander to do your part and help us weather this storm together.”
For more information or tips, you can click this link:
http://www.consumersenergy.com/coldweather
Consumers Energy CEO Patti Poppe made the public appeal to customers to reduce natural gas usage. She said, “The health and safety of our customers is our number one priority. Without additional statewide reductions, we run the risk of not being able to deliver natural gas to homes and critical facilities across Michigan – a scenario none of us want to encounter. As resilient Michiganders, we know that we are all in this together and we can count on customers to come through in this unprecedented time of need.”
You can watch Poppe’s video appeal by clicking the following link:
