The request comes as Milwaukee-area residents already pay some of the highest utility bills in the country and We Energies fails to meet its own paltry goals to avoid further climate crisis.

"As long as our public utilities are beholden to shareholders, increases like those proposed are ultimately designed to increase profitable returns," said Milwaukee DSA Communications Officer Greg Brown. "A system designed to -- first and foremost -- provide quality utility services for families could, on the other hand, use funds now baked-in as Wall Street profits to reduce outages and build up our power infrastructure."

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) will consider We Energies' proposal and rule on the rate increases in the coming weeks.

Milwaukee DSA encourages community members to make their voices heard by attending a public PSC hearing and signing the call for public ownership of Milwaukee's public utilities. This move would increase the reliability of the power grid, decrease bill rates, and begin a serious transition to renewable energy in the face of climate change.