The Department of Justice (DOJ) and PacifiCorp have arrived at an agreement under which the utility company will pay $575 million to settle claims for damages caused by six wildfires in Oregon and California, the department said in a Feb. 20 statement.
“The settlement resolves the United States’ claims that PacifiCorp’s electrical lines negligently started all six fires. The settlement monies will help repay the United States for the substantial costs it incurred fighting the fires, which is critical because the U.S. Forest Service now spends more than half of its budget on wildfire suppression annually,” DOJ said.
