Articles by Laila Kearney

LA Municipal Utility Says No Evidence Energized Power Line Caused Fire

A Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) above-ground power line near the Pacific Palisades was energized when the Palisades Fire began early this year, but that there is no evidence that the line contributed to the blaze, the …

Lawsuit: Downed Municipal Power Lines May Have Caused LA’s Palisades Fire

Several residents of Los Angeles who were affected by the deadly Palisades wildfire sued city authorities over claims that municipal utility power lines ignited the fire, according to a lawsuit filed Monday. The suit cited a Washington Post article dated …

Next Round of Inspections in LA Fire Expected Next Week, Edison CEO Says

Southern California Edison will begin its first close-up physical inspections of certain power equipment under investigation for possible links to the start of the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles early this year, Edison International CEO Pedro Pizarro told Reuters at …

Edison Says Wildfire Fund May Shield Balance Sheet From LA Fire Claims

California’s $21 billion wildfire fund may shield Edison International’s balance sheet if equipment owned by the company’s electric utility is found to have caused a deadly Los Angeles fire last month, Edison’s CEO said on Thursday. Southern California Edison, one …

Exposed Utility Wires May Have Contributed To LA’s Eaton Fire, Law Firm Says

A law firm representing victims of the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles has submitted photos with a legal filing on Wednesday that appear to show exposed wire at the base of a Southern California Edison tower that the firm alleges …

US Nuclear Regulator Begins Review on Three Mile Island Restart

U.S. nuclear regulators kicked off a long-winding process to consider Constellation Energy’s unprecedented plans to restart its retired Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in an initial public meeting held on Friday. Constellation, which announced last month that it had …

Energy Transfer Reports Louisiana Natgas Pipeline Ruptured in July

Energy pipeline operator Energy Transfer has disclosed a pipeline rupture in Louisiana last month that released 8.2 million cubic feet of natural gas, according to a report filed with the U.S. National Response Center. The July 22 leak, the equivalent …

U.S. Working With Colonial Pipeline to Restore Operations After Cyber Attack

The White House was working closely with top U.S. fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline on Sunday to help it recover from a ransomware attack that forced the company to shut a critical fuel network supplying populous eastern states. The attack …

150 Years of Spills: Philadelphia Refinery Cleanup Reveals Toxic Legacy of Fossil Fuels

Wearing blue hard hats, white hazmat suits and respirator masks, workers carted away bags of debris on a recent morning from a sprawling and now-defunct oil refinery once operated by Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES). Other laborers ripped asbestos from the …

Bankrupt Philadelphia Refiner Seeks $2.5M in Executive Bonuses

The bankrupt Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refiner is seeking a minimum of $2.5 million in bonus payments to the refiner’s top executives as part of a plan to reorganize or sell the company, U.S. bankruptcy court filings show. This would …