PacifiCorp has agreed to pay $575 million in a settlement with the federal government over six wildfires in Oregon and California.
Since 2020, the federal government has filed multiple lawsuits against PacifiCorp, an electrical utility owned by Berkshire Hathaway and the parent company of Pacific Power.
The government accused PacifiCorp of negligence, alleging poorly maintained equipment sparked multiple fires that burned across thousands of acres of national forests. This settlement resolves those claims.
PacifiCorp continues to deny liability.
The fires include four that burned over the 2020 Labor Day weekend in Oregon: the Archie Creek Fire, the Echo Mountain Complex Fire, the 242 Fire and the South Obenchain Fire.
Those wildfires burned across more than 93,000 acres of federal forestland in Oregon.
They were among the multiple fires that turned skies orange and filled the air with smoke across Oregon that weekend, driven by strong winds and severe drought. The 2020 Labor Day fires burned across more than 1 million acres and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.
FILE - Smoke from multiple fires across Oregon tinted skies orange over Labor Day weekend 2020.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
U.S. Department of Justice officials said the settlement will help pay the substantial costs of fighting those fires on federal land.
“Recouping the costs associated with these wildfires is a priority for our office, and this settlement achieves that,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott E. Bradford said in a statement.
PacifiCorp has faced multiple other lawsuits claiming the utility failed to properly maintain its electrical lines, or to shut off power ahead of extremely windy and dry weather. In a statement, its executives said it has so far agreed to $2.2 billion in settlement payments.
“This settlement is another significant milestone demonstrating our ongoing commitment to resolve all reasonable claims related to the devastating fires that affected Oregon and California,” said Ryan Flynn, president of Pacific Power.
The utility continues to fight remaining lawsuits brought by Oregonians who lost homes or property to 2020 wildfires, including many in the Santiam Canyon area.
