Greenpeace flew an airship over Cincinnati today with banners reading “Dump Duke Energy” and “Cleaner is Cheaper” to highlight the opportunity the city has to switch to a cheaper, renewable energy provider.

For years, Duke Energy executives and their Wall Street investors have made millions of dollars on the backs of Ohio energy customers, while poisoning the air with coal fired power plants. Two of these old coal plants, Miami Fort and Beckjord, sit on either side of Cincinnati and have been pumping out pollution for the last sixty years. According to the Clean Air Task Force, the pollution from these two coal plants is responsible for 200 deaths, 313 heart attacks, over 3,200 asthma attacks and hundreds of hospital admissions and emergency room visits each year.

200 deaths per year. And that’s just two of Duke’s six coal plants in Ohio.

But all that could soon change. Last November, Cincinnati residents overwhelmingly voted to pass a ballot initiative allowing the city to pool its purchasing power and choose a new energy provider. (You can learn more about how communities in Ohio are coming together to negotiate better deals with energy providers in this report from Ohio Citizen Action.) Now, the Cincinnati City Council is considering what criteria to use when choosing a new energy provider, such as cost savings and renewable energy. Cincinnati could choose to require 100% renewable energy from any energy providers seeking a contract to supply electricity to the city. At a City Council hearing this past Monday, nearly every resident who testified urged the City Council to require any energy provider seeking to provide the city with power to use 100% renewable energy.

It’s a great opportunity to replace Duke’s dirty coal power with less expensive clean, renewable energy. While Duke Energy says that it wants to be a responsible, forward-looking company, it continues to rely on dirty old coal plants. If it wants to be Cincinnati’s energy provider, Duke should be switching to renewable energy. Until then, Cincinnati should choose a new energy provider and the cleaner air, good jobs, and lower electric bills it would bring to Ohio.

Concerned residents of Cincinnati, young and old, came out to the first of four Public Utilities Commission of Ohio hearings on Duke Energy’s rate plan to testify that they are sick of being held back by Duke’s reliance on dirty coal power.  RSVP to the last hearing in Cincinnati on September 9th at 12:30pm at Cincinnati City Hall.

Some testified as to their trouble breathing while participating in outdoor activities in Cincinnati.  Jenna Taylor told PUCO members she dreams of the day when she can play softball and not worry about needing her inhaler to be outside.

Valerie Corwin, a resident of New Richmond, OH where the Beckjord coal plant is located, testified about the thick, black soot she has to wipe off her car every day that comes from the nearby stacks. Valerie also spoke of family members that have passed away due to illnesses she thinks have been exacerbated or even caused by the pollution from Beckjord.

Many residents also testified that they object to the outrageous idea that Duke would still be allowed to pass along costs to former customers who have since switched power providers in the form of “riders.”  That means even someone who buys renewable energy from a provider like Cincinnati Bell is paying for Duke’s coal plants!

“We are not here to bail out Duke,” said one customer succinctly. If Duke wants to hold onto its coal plants despite their age and threat to the community, the PUCO should make the company bear that financial risk and not ratepayers.

Do you live near Cincinnati? We need you to tell Duke that we are ready to move away from coal!

RSVP for the hearing on September 9th.

Trainings to testify at the hearing will take place Tuesday 9/6, Wednesday 9/7 and Thursday 9/8  @ 6:00pm at the Greenpeace office at 117 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.