damage News

New Mexico Oilfield Regulators Reach $1.8M Settlement with XTO

State oil and gas regulators say they have reached a financial settlement with XTO Permian Operating to resolve violation notices at wastewater injection sites in southeastern New Mexico. The Oil Conservation Division this week announced that XTO will pay nearly …

Western Fires Outpace California’s Effort to Fill Inmate Crews

As wildfires rage across California each year, exhausted firefighters call for reinforcements from wherever they can get them – even as far as Australia. Yet one homegrown resource is rarely used: thousands of experienced firefighters who earned their chops in …

Tanker in Yellowstone Spills Nearly 5,000 Gallons of Gasoline

A tanker truck hauling gasoline in Yellowstone National Park rolled over and spilled an estimated 4,800 gallons, officials said. An investigation was underway to determine whether any of the unleaded gas entered an area creek. The truck’s driver lost control …

Berkshire Unit Sued Over California’s Largest Wildfire of Season

A Berkshire Hathaway Inc. unit was sued for allegedly causing California’s largest wildfire of the year, which killed four people and destroyed almost 200 structures near the Oregon border. The complaint against PacifiCorp, a power utility based in Portland, Oregon, …

Eastern Oregon Historic Flour Mill Destroyed in Fire

A historic flour mill in northeast Oregon was destroyed in a fire. According to the Pendleton Police Department, the fire at the Grain Craft Flour Mill in Pendleton started around 2:55 p.m. Tuesday, KHQ reported. The Pendleton Fire Department responded …

$12M in Emergency Funding for Death Valley Flood Repairs

Nearly $12 million has been made available to the National Park Service to repair flood damage to roads in Death Valley National Park, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration said. Most roads in the desert park have been …

Pipeline Break Spills 45,000 Gallons of Diesel in Wyoming

A diesel pipeline in Wyoming owned by a company that’s being sued by federal prosecutors over previous spills in two other states cracked open and released more than 45,000 gallons of fuel, state regulators and a company representative disclosed. Cleanup …

Oregon Ski Area Sued over Washington Child’s Death

The parents of a 9-year-old child who died skiing at Mt. Bachelor ski area in central Oregon last year have filed a $49 million wrongful death lawsuit against the resort and its parent company, Powdr Corp. Angela and Brian Boice …

Coastal Washington Tribe Builds Tsunami Refuge Tower

There’s a new option to escape a tsunami for people on the southwest coast of Washington. The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe dedicated a 50-foot tall evacuation tower in Tokeland, Washington, the Northwest News Network reported. When the next magnitude 9.0 …

California’s Largest Wildfire Now 60% Contained

California’s largest wildfire so far this year has so far burned more than 60,000 acres, but it is now 60% contained. The McKinney Fire broke out on July 29 in an unpopulated area in Klamath National Forest. The fire has …