Wildfire Lawsuits Squeeze Xcel Energy

Image courtesy of kathryn under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 License, resized to 700 x 391 pixels.

Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy has been hit with multiple wildfire lawsuits in Colorado and Texas.  The company has denied any negligence, but either way these legal actions are unfortunate because there are many aspects of this that were, simply put, beyond anyone’s control.

Why Is Xcel Embroiled in Wildfire Lawsuits?

In Texas, in April 2024, a utility pole was blown over during high winds and ignited the surrounding brush.  From there, the fire spread in the high winds and ultimately killed 2 people and approximately 15,000 cows and caused a lot of property damage.  It turned out to be the largest wildfire in Texas history.  Similarly, the Colorado lawsuits stem from a 2021 wildfire that killed 2 people and caused more than $2 billion in property damage.

While there could be arguments in either direction, it’s hard to fathom that the company could have done anything differently.  One of the Texas lawsuits claims that the decayed power pole in question was unsteady due to contractors chipping rotten wood from the base, and therefore should have been taken out of service.  But Xcel denies any wrongdoing and it certainly doesn’t seem like there’s any proof to support the legal claim.

Since 2020, the company has spent $500 million on wildfire prevention in Colorado alone, and has developed a comprehensive wildfire mitigation plan for the state.  Tactics include undergrounding lines, installing high resolution cameras, and using artificial intelligence to improve prediction and diagnostic capabilities.