PacifiCorp to pay $250 million in timber company settlement for 2020 Archie Creek wildfire
For the second time this month, the utility provider PacifiCorp will pay out hundreds of millions of dollars to end a lawsuit over its alleged role in the devastating Oregon wildfires in 2020.
In a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, PacifiCorp announced it has reached a $250 million settlement with 10 timber companies to resolve a lawsuit they brought against the utility related to the Archie Creek Complex Fire in Southern Oregon.
On Dec. 5, the Berkshire Hathaway-owned company dished out $299 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Southern Oregon residents who lost their homes and property in the same fire, bringing PacifiCorp’s payouts this month to more than half a billion dollars.
The timber lawsuit alleged PacifiCorp’s employees, working at the Oregon utility Pacific Power, ignored warnings from the National Weather Service on Labor Day weekend in 2020 and continued to operate its electrical equipment rather than powering down. The suit also claimed the company failed to trim hazard trees and other vegetation that could have sparked power lines during the high winds that weekend.
“The 2020 wildfires were undeniably tragic, and PacifiCorp is pleased to resolve this matter on behalf of our impacted customers and communities,” the company said in an issued statement, adding that the threat of wildfires is larger than any single industry and there need to be “holistic solutions” to preventing catastrophic fires.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: PacifiCorp to pay $250M in Archie Creek wildfire settlement
