Consumers Energy officials today thanked homeowners and business operators who responded for calls to turn down thermostats in an effort to conserve natural gas due a gas shortage caused by a fire and frigid weather.

Auto plants and other big energy users throughout Southeast Michigan shut down or limited operations. At least 18 factories and other facilities run by General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler were affected Thursday.

The fire broke out at a Consumers Energy natural gas compressor station in Macomb County's Armada Township on Wednesday as record-cold temperatures swept over the region.

Consumers Energy CEO Patricia Poppe said the reduction efforts appear to be paying off.

"Every Michigander who turned down that thermostat could make a difference to the total system," Poppe said today. "Everybody's reduction in use made a difference across the entire state."

Consumers Energy said in a statement Thursday that it's "cautiously optimistic" its requests to curb natural gas use are "having a positive effect."

Poppe made an appeal Wednesday night for customers to reduce their natural gas usage. Localized outages were possible for some homes and businesses if demand isn't reduced.

An emergency alert was sent late Wednesday to cellphones asking people to lower thermostats to 65 degrees or below through Friday. And Consumers Energy asked its largest business customers, such as automakers, to reduce natural gas usage.

Natural gas customers are asked to continue conservation efforts through Friday morning.

The cause of Wednesday's fire at the utility's station on Omo Road near 32 Mile remains under investigation, utility officials said. Repairs are ongoing, but crews have been able to restore service at one of three plants at the facility.

The utility says gas flow from the station was shut off Wednesday, putting Michigan residents at risk of brief service interruptions in subzero temperatures.

Fiat Chrysler closed its truck assembly plants in Warren and Sterling Heights, Michigan, while Ford reduced operations at two transmission factories and a plant that stamps parts for the hot-selling Ford Ranger small pickup near Detroit. Ranger production was unaffected for now. General Motors was hit much harder, suspending operations at factories in Flint, Lansing, Saginaw, Pontiac, Orion Township and Bay City, Michigan. The Flint plant is gearing up for the launch of new heavy-duty pickup trucks. Even General Motors' sprawling technical center in Warren, Michigan, north of Detroit, was closed and its roughly 20,000 employees were told to stay home. About 30,000 employees were affected at GM alone. Only factories served by Jackson, Michigan-based Consumers Energy were affected. Plants powered by the region's other utility, DTE Energy, had no disruptions. Automakers were hoping that the plants can return to normal operations as temperatures moderate on Saturday and into next week, but they weren't sure when that will happen. If the natural gas shortage lasts only a few days, the economic impact of the shutdowns is likely to be small. Automakers usually can make up for lost production days by increasing assembly line speeds, but if the plants are closed or limited for a long time, that gets harder. Workers will get paid even though their buildings are closed. "We are assessing the impact on our operations, but we expect the impact will be minimal. We will do what is right for our customers, our employees and our communities - recognizing our priority has been to support the urgent energy needs across the state," GM spokeswoman Kimberly Carpenter said in a statement. Other businesses also have been affected. Spartan Motors, which makes emergency and other large vehicles, suspended manufacturing in Charlotte, Michigan, near Lansing, idling about 800 workers. It plans to resume work on Sunday evening. Dart Container Corp., switched natural gas boilers to oil and curtailed some operations near Lansing that use natural gas. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also appeared in a video online Wednesday night and said the request to lower thermostats was for those in the Lower Peninsula. Temperatures in the state were at their lowest levels of the week, with readings around negative 12 degrees in the Detroit area and at bitterly cold levels statewide.</s>JACKSON, Mich. — As of a result of an "unexpected incident" as a gas compression station in Southeast Michigan Wednesday morning, Consumers Energy is asking customers to reduce their natural gas usage.

"We are asking customers to temporarily reduce gas usage at this time while we continue to contain the incident and help keep Michigan residents warm during this cold spell,” said Garrick Rochow, Senior Vice President of Operations for Consumers Energy.

A fire involving equipment at Consumers Energy’s Ray Natural Gas Compressor Station occurred in Macomb County at 10:33 a.m. Wednesday. The fire is being contained and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation. All gas flow from the compressor station has been shut down until safety and damage assessments can be completed.

Consumers Energy is activating natural gas peaking storage fields in Northville and St. Clair to help deliver natural gas to their customers. Natural gas is stored underground and reserved in these fields, which are activated when energy demand requires it. In addition, the company has reached out to its largest business customers to reduce gas usage while they continue to investigate the incident.

Residents and businesses can reduce gas usage by doing the following:

LOOK AT THERMOSTAT SETTINGS: Save energy while staying warm by setting your heat to a lower temperature. Use your programmable thermostat to set your heat at 65 degrees when you are home and 62 degrees when you are away for less than 5 hours.

BUSINESS REDUCTION OF PROCESSES: The company is also encouraging industrial and business customers to temporarily reduce processes.

SEAL & SHUT WINDOWS AND DOORS: Check for leaks in your windows and doors by feeling around for cool air. Also, please ensure all windows and doors are closed tightly.

For more information or tips, visit: www.consumersenergy.com/coldweather

►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.</s>Consolidated Edison Inc. is implementing a moratorium on new natural-gas hookups in Westchester County, angering local builders and elected officials who say the move could cost the area jobs and tax revenue.

The utility said it would stop accepting applications from new customers in mid-March because increased demand for natural gas has strained the capacity of the existing transmission pipeline. Natural gas is less expensive and considered more environmentally friendly than oil fuel, and Con Edison has converted 2,900 Westchester buildings to gas from oil since 2011.

"You have a lot of natural gas around the country, but getting it to New York has been the strain," said Mike Clendenin, a spokesman for Con Edison. "Unfortunately, the most constrained area is in southern Westchester."

The utility said it has been doing everything it can to meet customers' demand, which grew 30% in its service area between 2011 and 2017 and is projected to grow an additional 20% over the next two decades.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said the moratorium threatens private development projects in the city that are poised to break ground, as well as a public-housing project for seniors.

"Everything will come to a grinding halt," said Mr. Spano, a Democrat. "Developers have made it abundantly clear to me that they would have to stop their projects if they're unable to get (natural-gas) service."

Con Edison delivers gas to 1.1 million customers via 4,300 miles of pipes in Manhattan, the Bronx, parts of Queens and most of Westchester County. Existing customers won't be affected by the moratorium.

The last pipeline that was built in the utility's service area was completed in lower Manhattan in 2013 and helped the company convert thousands of large buildings from oil to natural gas, Mr. Clendenin said. The area's gas comes from the Gulf Coast and shale in the Northeast.

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has denied several permits in recent years for new pipeline construction. In 2016, regulators refused to issue a permit for a natural-gas pipeline that would have moved fuel from Pennsylvania into New York City, Boston and other parts of New England. Regulators said the proposed 124-mile-long project didn't comply with the state's water-quality standards.

Mr. Spano said he wants an independent review to determine whether Con Edison is really as squeezed as it says or is trying to put pressure on state regulators.

"Are they just trying to create a crisis?" he asked.

Mr. Clendenin said the utility needs to ensure that it has enough supply to provide customers with gas for heating and cooking, even on the coldest days.

A spokesman for the state Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, said it would conduct an analysis of natural-gas supply and demand constraints in Westchester County. It will hold public hearings beginning next month and issue a report with recommendations by July 1.

Last year, Con Edison proposed spending $305 million over six years on efficiency efforts, such as converting Westchester County homes to geothermal heat pumps that heat and cool buildings by transferring thermal energy from the ground. The Public Service Commission is considering the proposal.

Even with these measures, "we'll still be short to meet the growing demand we have for natural gas," Mr. Clendenin said. "It's not going to make up that gap."

Scott Edwards, co-director of the advocacy group Food & Water Watch's climate and energy policy team, said he is also skeptical that a moratorium is necessary. But even if it is, Mr. Edwards said, the immediate need for energy should be met with renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal.

"All of this fossil-fuel infrastructure is really locking us in to a fossil-fuel economy that we need to move away from," he said. "It doesn't make sense from a public health and climate-change perspective."

Richard Haggerty, chief executive of the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, said Con Edison's moratorium has caused an initial panic among developers with pending projects in Westchester's biggest cities. A short-term solution is necessary, he said.

"If we're looking for non-fossil fuel energies, that's going to take a while...to come up with enough volume to meet the demand," Mr. Haggerty said. "So we better start talking about that now."</s>(Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Thursday proposed a tax on extracting natural gas to pay for his plan to spend $4.5 billion over the next four years to improve the state’s infrastructure.

The state legislature, however, has refused to approve the tax over the past couple of years.

Wolf said Pennsylvania is the only state in the country without a severance tax on extracting natural gas.

Pennsylvania is the second biggest gas-producing state behind Texas. The state produces about 18 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) from the Marcellus and Utica shale basins, which is a little over 20 percent of nation’s total gas production.

One billion cubic feet of gas is enough to supply about 5 million U.S. homes for a day.

“With every passing year our state is losing out on the opportunity to reinvest the benefits of these resources to stimulate out economy and move Pennsylvania forward,” Wolf said.

The state’s gas industry, however, said the tax is not necessary since the state already has a per well impact fee.

“Pennsylvania’s tax on natural gas – the impact fee – generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually for critical infrastructure programs,” said Marcellus Shale Coalition President David Spigelmyer, adding another energy tax will cost consumers and hurt jobs.

The proposed tax would increase if the price of gas rises and would start March 1, 2020.

The biggest producers in Pennsylvania include units of EQT Corp, Chesapeake Energy Corp, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp, Range Resources Corp and Southwestern Energy Co.

Wolf said he wants to spend the money on high-speed internet access, storm preparedness, disaster recovery, business development, energy infrastructure and transportation projects.</s>JACKSON, MI – It seemed like an absurd request, but Michiganders responded, and may have prevented heat shutoffs for Consumers Energy customers.

Despite extreme temperatures overnight, natural gas usage dropped 10 percent after the Jackson-based utility issued a late-night plea and the state sent emergency text messages asking customers across Michigan to turn their thermostats down to 65 degrees, Consumers executives said.

The reduction was enough to avoid the threat of heat interruptions, executives said in a press conference Thursday, Jan. 31.

Still, customers are asked to keep natural gas usage down until 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 1.

"We may never know that you took the action that we requested, because we monitor at a system level," President and CEO Patti Poppe said. "But we will forever be grateful that you did."

No heat interruptions yet, but Consumers Energy still asks Michigan to keep thermostats at 65

The combination of record-cold temperatures and a fire at Consumers' largest storage and delivery facility caused the shortage.

All Consumers buildings were turned down to 58 degrees and all state-owned facilities in the Lower Peninsula lowered thermostats by 5 degrees. Besides individuals turning down their heat, 79 companies across the state worked with Consumers to reduce their usage.

"As part of our arrangements and our contracts, we requested that they curtail their load and forgo their production schedules," Poppe said. "And they did."

The Macomb County Ray Compressor Station holds 64 percent of Consumers' natural gas. All three plants at the station were shut down for the fire, but one is back up and running and the other will be back on soon, officials said.

While Consumers Energy doesn’t cover the entire state, Poppe said it’s important for all Michiganders to reduce natural gas usage, because the system is interconnected.

Poppe said Thursday morning she was "cautiously optimistic" about the utility's ability to avoid heat interruptions. The company is sorry and disappointed in what's happened, she said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Consumers has made “significant investments” to the facility in recent years, so Poppe said she’s not attributing the fire to aging infrastructure.

"I understand that people are angry about this. I would be too. We plan for these extreme conditions," Poppe said. "The unplanned fire at our major facility, we were not prepared for that."

Demand for natural gas from Consumers broke records Wednesday and Thursday. On a typical winter day, 2.5 billion cubic feet of gas move across the state, Poppe said. The previous record was 3.0 billion cubic feet, until 3.3 billion cubic feet of gas was used Wednesday.

Consumers forecasted 3.7 million cubic feet of gas needed for Thursday, with temperatures dropping to more than 10 degrees below zero in many locations.

“In our 130 years, we’ve never experienced this kind of demand or these kinds of temperatures,” Poppe said.</s>Dozens of large businesses were impacted Thursday by Consumers Energy’s request to reduce energy usage.

Hemlock Semi-Conductor dramatically cut its natural gas usage at its plant.

Shifts were canceled at General Motors’ Mid-Michigan facilities, including the Flint Engine Operations, Flint Assembly, Bay City facility, and Saginaw Metal Castings Operations.

Operations will resume Thursday night with third shift reporting to those facilities.

Ford and Fiat Chrysler also limited operations on Thursday.

“It’s certainly taken its toll on our associates and our facilities,” said Andy Sajdak, senior facilities manager at Morley.

Morley was one of several businesses asked by Consumers Energy to reduce its natural gas usage.

The request came after a fire at Consumers’ largest compressor station Wednesday. It nearly causes a system-wide failure.

Sajdak said Morley is doing its part by turning down thermostats and shutting off lights across its facility.

“We’ve been able to effectively bring down our consumption by about 30 to 40 percent,” Sajdak said.

It’s not just large companies joining the effort. Local dealerships and other small businesses have had to make cuts to their services.

“Just the whole process slows down,” said Mike Wenglikowski, general manager at Garber Chevrolet in Saginaw.

Wenglikowski said they are using other methods to keep everyone warm.

“We’re lucky we have some recycled oil furnaces in the back. So the guys can stay warm in the back. And we’ve done what we can in the front of the house where the people and our guests are,” he said.

However, both Wenglikowski and Sajdak are looking forward to restoring operations fully.

“I would anticipate the next day or two. It looks like come the weekend we might be able to release some of those restrictions put in place,” Sajdak said.</s>UGI Utilities, Inc.’s Gas Division (UGI) today filed a request with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to increase its base rates for residential, commercial and industrial customers by $71.1 million annually. The requested increase would recover UGI’s ongoing costs related to system improvements and operations necessary to maintain safe and reliable natural gas service.

UGI is also requesting changes in purchased gas costs, the cost of the natural gas commodity consumed by the customer, for UGI Gas customers as well.

As part of its filing, UGI is proposing that its distribution and gas cost rate structures, currently separate for three rate districts, be consolidated into one across the 45 counties UGI serves in Pennsylvania. The UGI Utilities – North District is the former UGI Penn Natural Gas.

“This rate increase will provide the funding necessary for important distribution system improvement activities and technology system replacements,” Paul Szykman, UGI Chief Regulatory Officer, said. “In addition, establishing uniform distribution rates and gas costs across our service area will benefit UGI customers through enhanced administrative

efficiency, unified supply planning, cost savings and communications. Even with this increase, total average bills for our residential heating customers remain lower than those of 10 years ago.”

The Company’s filing includes over $1.0 Billion in system investments for system infrastructure, facilities and information technology investments which are not yet included for recovery in current rates.

“We are currently investing over $350 million annually in capital projects to upgrade our distribution and technology systems,” Szykman said. “UGI is well underway on an aggressive infrastructure betterment initiative that is replacing all non-contemporary pipelines with those made of contemporary materials.”

The UGI rate increase request will impact both the delivery charge portion of a customer’s bill as well as the purchased gas commodity charge. The delivery charge provides a utility with the funds needed to own, operate and maintain the gas distribution system and provide customer service and emergency response services. The purchased gas commodity charge reflects the actual cost the Company pays to purchase gas on the wholesale market, with no profit mark-up.

Assuming the full amount of the proposed rate increase is granted and that our proposal to create uniform rates is adopted, customers in the UGI Gas – North District would see the following rate impact:

Residential: The total bill for a residential customer using 90.6 ccf per month would increase from $89.72 to $97.37 per month or by 8.5%. This is based on a 5.2% increase in the distribution rate and a 3.3% increase in the purchased gas cost rate.

Commercial: The total bill for a commercial customer using 31.2 mcf per month would increase from $241.11 to $283.01 per month or by 17.4%. This is based on a 13.1% increase in the distribution rate, and a 4.3% increase in the purchased gas cost rate.

Industrial: Rates for an industrial customer using 88.1 mcf per month would increase from $619.90 to $731.35 per month or by 18.0%. This is based on a 13.3% increase in the distribution rate, and a 4.7% increase in the purchased gas cost rate.

In addition to the changes to the distribution rate and the purchased gas cost rate, UGI is proposing to extend the existing temporary federal tax credit through the 12-month period following the effective date of new rates. As proposed, this credit will reduce the distribution rate portion of customer bills by 4.50%.

UGI is requesting that the new gas rates take effect March 29, 2019. However, the PUC typically suspends the effective date for general base rate proceedings to allow for investigation and public hearings. The PUC proceeding is expected to last approximately nine months, which would delay implementation of the new rates until late October 2019.

Customers and interested parties may view UGI’s base rate filing materials on the UGI website at (www.ugi.com) and clicking on the “rate filing” tab on the home page. Customers with questions may also call UGI toll-free at 1-800-276-2722 to receive further information on the proposed rate increase or to find out what actions they make take.

UGI Utilities, Inc. – North District serves more than 168,000 customers in 15 counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. UGI Utilities, Inc., Gas Division, serves more than 642,000 customers in 45 counties across Pennsylvania.</s>LOS ANGELES (AP) - While the polar vortex is driving up demand for natural gas, it isn't doing the same for the price.

The massive weather system is blanketing much of the Midwest and Northeast in a deep freeze, and demand for natural gas is spiking as homeowners crank up the heat to stay warm.

Yet natural gas prices have fallen this week and are in the throes of a two-month skid. The bone-chilling cold stretches from Bismarck, North Dakota, to Portland, Maine, but it will be relatively short-lived. And forecasters say warmer than normal weather is coming to replace it.

An early blast of winter weather coupled with U.S. natural gas stockpiles hovering at a 13-year low drove the price of natural gas to $4.84 per 1,000 cubic feet in mid-November, the highest closing price in more than four years.

Natural gas prices began to decline around mid-December as the early November winter weather gave way to above-normal temperatures. That weather pattern continued into January and natural gas fell below $3. The relative warm spell allowed for supplies of natural gas to be replenished. Greater supply is a counterweight to the market pressures that can drive prices higher.

The price rose to $3.59 in mid-January amid a brief cold spell but by Thursday had dropped to $2.81 per 1,000 cubic feet. That's down 42 percent from that 2018 peak and 6 percent lower than a year ago.

FILE- In this Wednesday Jan. 30, 2019, file photo smoke rises from the chimneys of homes in St. Paul, Minn. While the polar vortex is driving up demand for natural gas, it isn't doing the same for the price. The massive weather system is blanketing much of the Midwest and Northeast in a deep freeze, and demand for natural gas is spiking as homeowners crank up the heat to stay warm. Yet natural gas prices have fallen this week and are in the throes of a two-month skid. (Brian Peterson/Star Tribune via AP, File)

The polar vortex has bought record cold temperatures to locations such as Rockford, Illinois, and Des Moines. That's helped push natural gas demand for residential and commercial heating up almost 40 percent from the prior seven days' average, according to S&P Global Platts. Residential and commercial natural gas demand had its biggest single-day spike Wednesday in 10 years.

So, why isn't the arctic chill gripping much of the country driving prices higher? The deep freeze is not expected to last beyond this week, said Richard Redash, head of North American Gas & Power Research Analytics at S&P Global Platts.

"We're looking at some mild weather, relative to normal, and really normal weather as you get into the middle of next month," Redash said.

S&P Global Platts estimates that demand will soon fall back to levels since in early January.

Another factor helping keep natural gas prices subdued is strong U.S. production, which has been steadily rising since late 2016 and hit new highs regularly in much of last year. That helps supply quickly recover after periods of high demand.

"This tremendous year-on-year U.S. production growth does provide added supply on top of (stockpiles), and that's not lost on many market participants," Redash said.</s>LOS ANGELES (AP) - While the polar vortex is driving up demand for natural gas, it isn't doing the same for the price.

The massive weather system is blanketing much of the Midwest and Northeast in a deep freeze, and demand for natural gas is spiking as homeowners crank up the heat to stay warm.

Yet natural gas prices have fallen this week and are in the throes of a two-month skid. The bone-chilling cold stretches from Bismarck, North Dakota, to Portland, Maine, but it will be relatively short-lived. And forecasters say warmer than normal weather is coming to replace it.

An early blast of winter weather coupled with U.S. natural gas stockpiles hovering at a 13-year low drove the price of natural gas to $4.84 per 1,000 cubic feet in mid-November, the highest closing price in more than four years.

Natural gas prices began to decline around mid-December as the early November winter weather gave way to above-normal temperatures. That weather pattern continued into January and natural gas fell below $3. The relative warm spell allowed for supplies of natural gas to be replenished. Greater supply is a counterweight to the market pressures that can drive prices higher.

The price rose to $3.59 in mid-January amid a brief cold spell but by Thursday had dropped to $2.81 per 1,000 cubic feet. That's down 42 percent from that 2018 peak and 6 percent lower than a year ago.

FILE- In this Wednesday Jan. 30, 2019, file photo smoke rises from the chimneys of homes in St. Paul, Minn. While the polar vortex is driving up demand for natural gas, it isn't doing the same for the price. The massive weather system is blanketing much of the Midwest and Northeast in a deep freeze, and demand for natural gas is spiking as homeowners crank up the heat to stay warm. Yet natural gas prices have fallen this week and are in the throes of a two-month skid. (Brian Peterson/Star Tribune via AP, File)

The polar vortex has bought record cold temperatures to locations such as Rockford, Illinois, and Des Moines. That's helped push natural gas demand for residential and commercial heating up almost 40 percent from the prior seven days' average, according to S&P Global Platts. Residential and commercial natural gas demand had its biggest single-day spike Wednesday in 10 years.

So, why isn't the arctic chill gripping much of the country driving prices higher? The deep freeze is not expected to last beyond this week, said Richard Redash, head of North American Gas & Power Research Analytics at S&P Global Platts.

"We're looking at some mild weather, relative to normal, and really normal weather as you get into the middle of next month," Redash said.

S&P Global Platts estimates that demand will soon fall back to levels since in early January.

Another factor helping keep natural gas prices subdued is strong U.S. production, which has been steadily rising since late 2016 and hit new highs regularly in much of last year. That helps supply quickly recover after periods of high demand.

"This tremendous year-on-year U.S. production growth does provide added supply on top of (stockpiles), and that's not lost on many market participants," Redash said.</s>CORRECTS SPELLING OF LAST NAME TO POPPE INSTEAD OF POPE - Consumers Energy CEO Patti Poppe speaks during a news conference in Jackson, Mich., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. The news conference was held to address the natural gas shortage caused by a fire in cold temperatures. (Mary Lewandowski/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP)

CORRECTS SPELLING OF LAST NAME TO POPPE INSTEAD OF POPE - Consumers Energy CEO Patti Poppe speaks during a news conference in Jackson, Mich., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. The news conference was held to address the natural gas shortage caused by a fire in cold temperatures. (Mary Lewandowski/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP)

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Efforts to conserve heat in Michigan during the extreme cold reduced usage by 10 percent following a fire at a major natural gas facility, stabilizing Consumers Energy’s ability to supply houses and other critical buildings, officials said Thursday.

The utility, the state’s largest supplier of natural gas, asked its 1.7 million customers and millions of others to continue to set their thermostats at 65 degrees (18 degrees Celsius) or lower until midnight Thursday — 62 degrees if they are away from home for more than five hours.

The company first made the request Wednesday afternoon. The state police later sent a late-night emergency alert to the entire Lower Peninsula, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer consulted with emergency management staff and Consumers Energy leaders. Auto plants and other big customers shut down or limited operations due to the disruption in supply. Whitmer said she would ask state regulators to assess the supply and delivery of natural gas, electricity and propane by July 1.

“In our 130 years, we’ve never experienced this kind of demand or these kinds of temperatures,” said CEO Patti Poppe. She said at a news conference that the Jackson-based utility had been prepared to supply more natural gas due to the frigid weather until Wednesday’s fire at its largest storage and distribution facility, in suburban Detroit.

“We are disappointed that our system was unable to serve at full capacity,” she said. “However, we are extraordinarily grateful for the efforts that you took and the actions and your response to our call.”

The company, Poppe said, was “cautiously optimistic” that its system had stabilized. The fire remained under investigation.

The appeal to reduce heat drew both praise and criticism on social media, with some people saying they were happy to do their part and others expressing frustration — including with the timing of the alert that went to cellphones.

“Who authorized the emergency alert network at 10:30 at night?” Republican Rep. Beau LaFave of Iron Mountain said on Facebook and Twitter.

Whitmer defended the move, saying it was “very critical” to act quickly.

“We are not done,” she said during a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center near Lansing. “This is not over until tomorrow.”

Whitmer said she was concerned that nearly two-thirds of Consumers Energy’s natural gas is distributed from its station in Macomb County in peak periods.

“I am also concerned that we are seeing climate change, and we are seeing temperatures and fluctuations like none we’ve seen before,” she said. “I don’t believe that it’s going to have a trajectory other than what we’ve seen. So we’ve got to be prepared.”

On a typical winter day, Poppe said, demand hits about 2.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas. It peaked at 3.3 billion on Wednesday — topping the previous record of 3 billion — and was expected to rise to 3.7 billion on Thursday. When people voluntarily curtailed their use, demand was closer to 3.3 billion, she said.

Poppe urged all natural gas customers, not just those served by Consumers Energy, to lower their thermostat to 65 degrees, because the distribution network is interconnected.

“Every Michigander who turned down that thermostat could make a difference to the total system,” she said.

DTE Energy, meanwhile, asked Michigan customers to help “safeguard the reliability of the regional energy grid” amid the cold by voluntarily reducing electricity use. Suggested steps include lowering the thermostat by several degrees and minimizing the use of appliances such as washers, dryers and ovens.

“While DTE’s plants are running well, our system is connected to energy grids in other states and Canada that are experiencing issues due to the extreme weather,” Christy Wicke, executive director, Generation Optimization, said in a statement.

State Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon said that as of Thursday morning, the agency had handled more than 50 emergency calls related to residents without heat in 26 counties. Most were for propane fills. In one case, Luther Lovell, DHHS director for Wexford and Missaukee counties south of Traverse City, drove water to an elderly couple whose pipes froze.

___

Follow Eggert on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
A large-scale natural gas shortage in the U.S. state of Michigan is averted following the compliance of an emergency request from Consumers Energy for state residents to lower thermostats, after a fire at a natural gas compressor station threatened to halt the delivery of gas to consumers. The public's observance of the request resulted in a 10 percent decrease in natural gas usage across the state.