Target: Duke Energy, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), and Cincinnati Local Officials
Sponsored by: Madhav Chandra, Cincinnati, OH 45244
 
The Issue:
Power outages are no longer just an inconvenience—they are an economic threat and a public safety crisis. As Cincinnati residents, workers, and business owners, we rely on electricity for our livelihoods, medical needs, and daily transportation.

The catastrophic vulnerability of our grid was made entirely clear following the severe storms on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Widespread blackouts lasted for several days, only to be followed the next week by highly disruptive rolling outages. At a time when high inflation is already squeezing household budgets, these infrastructure failures force residents to absorb unfair, preventable costs while putting our most vulnerable neighbors at severe medical risk. We are calling on Duke Energy and local decision-makers to recognize the true toll of an unreliable grid and swiftly invest in modernization.

The Verifiable Proof of Grid Failure:
We do not have to guess if the grid is getting worse—the data proves it:
 
- Failed Standards: According to formal utility disclosures, Duke Energy Ohio was among the state utilities that failed to meet state-regulated grid reliability targets.
- Lowering the Bar: Rather than aggressively modernizing its network to protect Cincinnati residents, Duke Energy filed a case with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) attempting to weaken its allowable reliability standards. This effectively asks regulators to legally permit more frequent and longer blackouts. As Ohio Consumers' Counsel Maureen Willis publicly warned: "Reliability standards should protect consumers, not be adjusted downward simply because utilities are repeatedly failing to meet them." 

The Life-Threatening Toll on Vulnerable Seniors:
A fragile electrical grid is a direct threat to the health and safety of Cincinnati’s oldest residents. A landmark 2026 study confirmed that power outages are directly linked to an immediate risk of increased hospitalizations among older adults for cardiovascular and respiratory causes:
 
- Failure of Medical Equipment: Thousands of seniors rely on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment (DME), including oxygen concentrators, home dialysis units, and nebulizers. A sudden power drop is an immediate, life-threatening medical emergency.
- Dangerous Heat Index: Combined with August’s 's oppressive summer heat waves, multi-day blackouts leave seniors trapped in un-air-conditioned homes. This radically increases the risk of severe heat stroke and emergency medical interventions.
- Mobility and Isolation Risks: Sudden blackouts trap elderly residents in darkness, multiplying the risk of falls and cutting off crucial internet and communication lines needed to summon help.

The Financial Toll in an Inflationary Economy:
When families are already struggling with the rising cost of living, the unexpected expenses caused by a power outage take a severe toll:
 
- Skyrocketing Grocery Losses: With inflation driving food prices to historic highs, losing a refrigerator full of groceries due to a multi-day blackout is a massive financial blow that working families and seniors on fixed incomes simply cannot afford to replace.
- Remote Work & Income Loss: In a tight economy, missing days of work is devastating. With the shift toward remote work, a dark house means lost hourly wages and disrupted business operations. These financial losses are absorbed entirely by the customer, not the utility.
- Compounded Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Residents face sudden, un-reimbursed costs for generator fuel, emergency supplies, and temporary accommodations. Because insurance deductibles are often higher than the cost of the damage, families pay for these infrastructure failures out of pocket.

Our Action Demands for Duke Energy:
We respectfully demand that Duke Energy accelerate its investment in the resilience of the grid, specifically prioritizing vulnerable urban and suburban pockets in the Cincinnati area by:
 
- Rejecting Lower Standards: Duke Energy must withdraw its requests to weaken consumer reliability standards and instead commit to meeting or exceeding original state targets.
- Grid Modernization: Replacing aging transformers, power lines, and substations before they fail to avoid cascading rolling blackouts.
- Emergency Prioritization Protocols: Developing enhanced cooperation with local emergency services to quickly identify and safeguard vulnerable residents requiring power for medical devices.
- Proactive Grid Maintenance: Expanding aggressive vegetation management and tree trimming to prevent falling limbs from taking down entire neighborhood lines.
 
Sign the Petition:
Reliable electricity is a necessity, not a luxury. Working families and medically vulnerable seniors should not have to pay the price for a utility provider's lack of preparedness. By signing this petition, you are demanding that Duke Energy and local authorities hold our utility infrastructure to a higher standard of accountability. Let's build a resilient Cincinnati.