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Whitmer Looks For Answers After Last Weeks Natural Gas Crisis

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.

US-WEATHER-SNOW
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.

US-WEATHER-SNOW
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.

© 2019 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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