Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Duke Energy Registrants in the reports they file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified by the SEC rules and forms.

Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Duke Energy Registrants in the reports they file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the Duke Energy Registrants have evaluated the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of March 31, 2026, and based on this evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that these controls and procedures are effective in providing reasonable assurance of compliance.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the Duke Energy Registrants have evaluated changes in internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2026, and have concluded no change has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, internal controls over financial reporting.

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The litigation matter of NTE Carolinas II, LLC Litigation included in Part 1, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, within Note 5, "Commitments and Contingencies" of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, is incorporated herein by reference.

For open litigation, unless otherwise noted, Duke Energy cannot predict the outcome or ultimate resolution of these matters.

MTBE Litigation

In December 2017, the state of Maryland filed suit in Baltimore City Circuit Court against Duke Energy Merchants and other defendants alleging contamination of state waters by MTBE leaking from gasoline storage tanks and is seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages. MTBE is a gasoline additive intended to increase the oxygen levels in gasoline and make it burn cleaner. The case was removed from Baltimore City Circuit Court to federal District Court. In December 2020, the plaintiff and defendants selected 50 focus sites, none of which have any ties to Duke Energy Merchants. In November 2025, Duke Energy Merchants entered into a settlement agreement with the state of Maryland, which included the payment of an immaterial amount to resolve the litigation. Once this matter is dismissed, it will be fully resolved.

The Town of Carrboro Litigation

On December 4, 2024, the town of Carrboro, North Carolina, filed a lawsuit against Duke Energy in the North Carolina Superior Court, Orange County, alleging that Duke Energy and its predecessor companies knew since the late 1960s that fossil fuel emissions could cause global climate changes and engaged in a campaign to conceal the dangers of fossil fuel emissions from the public, regulators, legislators, and others, resulting in a delayed transition away from fossil fuel emissions and worsening climate change. On February 12, 2026, the court granted Duke Energy's motion to dismiss the litigation based on lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. In light of the dismissal, the court denied Duke Energy's motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim as moot. In March 2026, the appeal window expired with no action taken by the town of Carrboro. This matter is now fully resolved.

Other Proceedings

In addition, the Duke Energy Registrants are, from time to time, parties to various lawsuits and regulatory proceedings in the ordinary course of their business. For information regarding legal proceedings, including regulatory and environmental matters, see Note 4, "Regulatory Matters," and Note 5, "Commitments and Contingencies," to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. For additional information, see Item 3, "Legal Proceedings," in Duke Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.