Whitmer Looks For Answers After Last Weeks Natural Gas Crisis

click to expand

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is asking the Michigan Public Service Commission to study the adequacy of the state's energy supply and its ability to deliver natural gas, electricity, and propane.

People walk past a painting of Aretha Franklin on a wall on Fenkell Avenue on January 29, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. - Millions of Americans braced Tuesday for a dangerous polar vortex which began to settle over a large swath of the United States, threatening to set new records as schools and businesses closed and authorities warned of frostbite. Temperatures in almost a dozen states stretching over 1,200 miles from the Dakotas to Ohio were forecast to be the coldest in a generation, if not on record. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

Whitmer's request Monday to the Michigan Public Service Commission followed a bitterly cold week, with temperatures dipping well below zero.

RELATED: CONSUMERS ENERGY ASKS TO LOWER THERMOSTAT AFTER FIRE

Consumers Energy asked customers to temporarily lower thermostats to 65 degrees after a compressor station fire near Detroit raised concerns about keeping gas flowing. DTE Energy requested voluntary reductions in electricity use.

A woman walks past a mural down Grand River on January 29, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. - Millions of Americans braced Tuesday for a dangerous polar vortex which began to settle over a large swath of the United States, threatening to set new records as schools and businesses closed and authorities warned of frostbite. Temperatures in almost a dozen states stretching over 1,200 miles from the Dakotas to Ohio were forecast to be the coldest in a generation, if not on record. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

Whitmer asked the public service commission for a report by July 1. The Democratic governor said it should include information about plans for distributing energy during emergencies; areas or systems most at risk; and how to prepare for extreme weather that seems increasingly likely as the climate changes.