Energy & Utilities

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit on Dec. 16, 2025 against Southwestern Public Service Co., operating as Xcel Energy, alleging negligent maintenance of aging utility poles that sparked 2024’s Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Panhandle. The state seeks to recover economic damages exceeding $1 billion and to prevent the utility from passing costs to customers; investigators found a decayed pole failed and dropped live lines, and Xcel—while disputing negligence—says it has paid $361 million to settle most private claims.