Oregon’s utility regulator this week mentioned it could examine a petition by PacifiCorp to restrict its legal responsibility from future wildfire-related lawsuits, delaying a choice on the ability supplier’s request by so long as 9 months.
In October, the Berkshire Hathaway Power BRKa.N subsidiary requested regulators in 5 of the six states it serves to restrict damages tied to future utility-caused wildfires.
That request got here 4 months after an Oregon jury discovered PacifiCorp should pay a minimum of $87 million in compensatory and punitive damages for 4 wildfires that broken greater than 2,400 properties over Labor Day in 2020.
Placing a limitation on legal responsibility will enable it to make sure cheap charges and finance future expenditures, PacifiCorp mentioned in its October submitting.
On Tuesday, the Oregon Public Utility Fee (OPUC) authorized a workers advice submitted on Nov. 17 to droop PacifiCorp’s request for as much as 9 months for an investigation.
The proposed modifications have “vital coverage implications in addition to authorized points” and can’t be adequately investigated by the efficient date of Nov. 29, 2023, proposed by PacifiCorp, OPUC workers mentioned within the advice.
The Portland-based utility serves 2 million prospects in Oregon, Washington, California, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
PacifiCorp’s mounting litigation prices dampened third-quarter earnings of mum or dad firm Berkshire Hathaway’s vitality enterprise.
(Reporting by Nicole Jao; Enhancing by Sonali Paul)
Subjects
Disaster
Pure Disasters
Wildfire
Oregon
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