Deluzio Releases Report Detailing Responses to Constituent Survey on Recent Power Outages

CARNEGIE, PA — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) released an initial report detailing the findings of a public survey he launched in the wake of recent widespread, frustrating, and disruptive power outages across Western Pennsylvania.   

“A lot of us really struggled with the power outage following the late April storms. I wanted to hear from the good people of Western PA to understand what people went through and about their ideas on how to fix things,” said Congressman Deluzio. “Thank you to the over 1,200 people who took the time to share their stories, feedback, and suggestions with me. This isn’t a report that will just sit on a shelf. I'm sharing these findings with local governments and utility companies. And as a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, this input is especially helpful as we consider what the federal policy options are to strengthen our infrastructure.” 

Some top-line highlights from the report include: 

• 83% of respondents lost power
• 47% were not satisfied with their utility company’s communication and customer service
• 86% of respondents live in Allegheny County, 12% in Beaver County
• 78% of respondents are customers of Duquesne Light Co., 21% use FirstEnergy Corp. (West Penn Power & Penn Power)
• The most common complaint was that restoration times provided by the utility companies were inaccurate, especially through the online outage map, and that a broader mix of communications methods should have been used
• Respondents shared difficult stories of struggling without their oxygen tank and taking a hard financial hit with spoiled food, and small business owners unable to serve customers
• Respondents provided creative ideas for how utility companies and local governments can invest in our infrastructure, and how they should better prepare and respond in the future 

During and immediately after the power outages, Congressman Deluzio was clear that we cannot accept week-long blackouts as normal when storms roll through, and that we need stronger and more resilient infrastructure across America. He will continue to work with his congressional colleagues, state and local governments, and utility companies toward that goal.

The full report is available to view and download here.  

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