utilities

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In Texas, an Overflowing Water Tower Points to Russia

Russian hackers have claimed responsibility, in what may be nation's first attack on US water

(Newser) - A water tower in a small Texas town overflowed in January, spilling tens of thousands of gallons into the streets. Now, Google-owned cybersecurity company Mandiant says the incident in Muleshoe may be the first hack into US water systems by Russia after infiltrators tied to one of that country's...

In Texas' Biggest Wildfire, Utility Issues a Mea Culpa

Xcel Energy says its facilities 'appear to have been involved' in starting the Smokehouse Creek Fire

(Newser) - The utility provider Xcel Energy said Thursday that its facilities appeared to have played a role in igniting a massive wildfire in the Texas Panhandle that grew to the largest blaze in state history. Texas officials have said they're still investigating the cause of the fire that has burned...

Maui County Sues Utility for Not Shutting Off Power

Filing says Hawaiian Electric knew the danger from high winds

(Newser) - Maui County sued Hawaiian Electric on Thursday over the fires that devastated Lahaina, saying the utility negligently failed to shut off power despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions. Witness accounts and video indicated that sparks from power lines ignited fires as utility poles snapped in the winds, which were...

Top Utility Regulator in Texas Quits With 'Indignant' Letter

She blames others for failing to foresee emergency

(Newser) - The top utilities regulator in Texas has become the highest-ranking official to resign over the blackouts that left millions of Texans without power amid freezing temperatures last month. The Houston Chronicle reports that Public Utility Commission Chairwoman DeAnn Walker sounded "indignant" in her resignation letter, saying she had "...

It Just Gets Better: Houston Utility Sends Out $200K Bills

CenterPoint Energy says power outage caused a computer problem

(Newser) - By this point, at least 27,000 Houston natural gas customers must wonder if they're the butt of a cosmic joke. They received email notifications Thursday that their CenterPoint Energy bill was ready, and that it was $202,102.16. So not only are people trying to survive without...

Virus Clobbers Retail Sales, US Factories

Both industries see record drops

(Newser) - US retail sales tumbled by a record 16.4% from March to April as business shutdowns caused by the coronavirus kept shoppers away, per the AP . The Commerce Department’s report Friday on retail purchases showed a sector that has collapsed so quickly that sales over the past 12 months...

PG&E Warns of 'Extreme Measure' Amid High Winds

Utility may be shutting off power to 2 million people in Northern California on Saturday night

(Newser) - More than 2 million people in Northern California may be without power Saturday night in a planned blackout meant to fend off wildfires. The Los Angeles Times reports that this anticipated move by Pacific Gas and Electric, which would affect 36 counties, is due to high winds forecast for the...

Investigators Confirm PG&E Caused Deadliest Calif. Fire

Transmission lines sparked Camp fire

(Newser) - Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. power lines sparked a northern California blaze that killed 85 people last year, making it the deadliest US wildfire in a century and the deadliest in state history, state fire officials said Wednesday. Cal Fire said transmission lines owned and operated by the San Francisco-based...

In Wake of Calif. Wildfires, PG&E Makes a Big Move

Largest utility in America files for bankruptcy

(Newser) - America's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Corp., filed for bankruptcy Tuesday as it faces billions of dollars in potential damages from wildfires in California. The utility filed documents in a US court seeking Chapter 11 reorganization despite state investigators determining last week that its equipment wasn't to...

No, Russia Has Not Infiltrated US Electric Grid

Uproar after malware found on Vermont utility company computer

(Newser) - No, Russian hackers have not infiltrated the US electric grid. Reports were out Friday that malware was found on a laptop at Burlington Electric , a Vermont utility company, but some of them went so far as to say the hackers infiltrated the entire grid, leading the state's democratic governor...

SCOTUS Rules for Obama Energy-Savings Program

Justices ruled 6-2 for federal program paying large customers to conserve energy

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has upheld a four-year-old federal program that pays large electric customers to save energy during times of peak demand. The justices ruled 6-2 on Monday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has the authority to issue directives aimed at conserving energy and preventing blackouts. Writing for the...

Utility: Dad Who Died With 7 Kids Had Stolen Meter

He wasn't cut off for not paying bills, power company says

(Newser) - The utility that cut off power to a Maryland home days before Rodney Todd and his seven children were found dead says it didn't cut him off for not paying bills—because it never sent him any. Delmarva Power says it shut off power to the rented home in...

Florida City Cites Woman ... for Living Off-Grid
Florida City Cites Woman
... for Living Off-Grid
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Mar 2, 2014 11:16 AM CST

Florida City Cites Woman ... for Living Off-Grid

She won't hook up to water or electric, though she did use the sewer system

(Newser) - A Florida woman is in a legal fight with the city of Cape Coral for the right to live without municipal water or electricity—off the grid, as she puts it to WBBH-TV . The city just played a trump card, though: It capped the sewer at the house of 50-something...

Church Gets $93K Water Bill
 Church Gets $93K Water Bill 
Jul 14, 2013 10:12 AM CDT

Church Gets $93K Water Bill

Ohio city blames software glitch for five-figure bills

(Newser) - Residents and businesses in Girard, Ohio, got a rude surprise when they opened their water bills this month: insane five-figure bills. St. Rose Catholic Church, for example, got hit with a $93,000 charge, and the Tri-Changes hair salon got tagged for $12,000. After residents, business owners, and, yes,...

Utility Boss Quits Over Botched Sandy Response

Thousands of NY customers still without power

(Newser) - The chief operating officer of a utility company heavily criticized for its response to Superstorm Sandy is stepping down. The Long Island Power Authority says Michael Hervey had tendered his resignation, effective at the end of the year. LIPA has come under withering criticism since Sandy knocked out power to...

Your Electric Bill Is Going Up

Utilities have to pay for needed upgrades: Daily Beast

(Newser) - The Daily Beast delivers some bad news after looking at the regulatory filings of utilities across the country: Electric rates are going up, and they won't be coming back down for a while. The problem is that the utilities have to make badly needed repairs to the nation's...

Keep Cool in the Heat Wave
 Keep Cool in 
 the Heat Wave 
Jul 5, 2010 3:40 PM CDT

Keep Cool in the Heat Wave

Experts offer tips for saving money on air-conditioning

(Newser) - Almost one-fifth of Americans' spending on utilities goes toward keeping cool, but the total doesn't have to be that high, reports USA Today . With most of the US in the grip of a heat wave , some pointers for becoming less reliant on less air-conditioning and lowering your electric bill:
  • Get
...

Arizona Candidate: Cut Off Illegals' Electricity

Barry Wong insists he's serious

(Newser) - If you thought Arizona couldn't get any less hospitable to Hispanic people—er, illegal immigrants—think again. Barry Wong, who's running for the state's Corporation Commission, is pushing a plan to cut off electricity to any building suspected of harboring illegal immigrants. He'd have the power to do that, he...

17 Most Corrupt Industries
 17 Most 
 Corrupt 
 Industries 
no. 1? not wall street
May 2, 2010 5:17 AM CDT

17 Most Corrupt Industries

Want to retain your honor? Don't get into these professions

(Newser) - Goldman Sachs got you convinced Wall Street is the most corrupt place to work? Not quite: The Daily Beast worked with an anti-corruption research organization to determine the 17 most corrupt industries in America. The top five, along with representative examples:
  1. Utilities: FirstEnergy allegedly covered up a reactor head that
...

Straighten Out Your Finances in 2010
 Straighten Out 
 Your Finances 
 in 2010 
resolutions
Jan 3, 2010 4:53 PM CST

Straighten Out Your Finances in 2010

Some simple moves can net $1K or more

(Newser) - On the eve of the first serious workday of the New Year, take a hard look at your finances and see where you can cut back in 2010. A relatively small investment in time can result in some serious savings, Kathy Kristof writes for the Los Angeles Times :
  • Save automatically:
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