1) California holiday storms drive major outages and restoration logistics (resilience + customer comms)
A powerful storm cycle this holiday season bringing out the worst of Cali's diversity of climates (atmospheric river conditions, high winds, flooding/mudslides, heavy mountain snow) drove widespread outages across the state, creating challenging restoration scenarios —placing a spotlight directly on the states resiliency planning, emergency response coordination, and being able to communicate with customers, while the system is under stress. Reuters+2The Guardian+2
Why it matters: This is a case study in “storm-to-bill” dynamics: outage response costs, mutual aid, best practices in selecting restoration equipment , as well as regulatory scrutiny over performance and the impact upon customers.
2) Water sector: “PFAS cost liability” becomes a central policy fight (utilities push to avoid cleanup liability)
National debate intensified over whether water utilities (and others like landfills) should be shielded from PFAS or "Forever Chemicals" cleanup liabilities, as policymakers weigh the “polluter pays” principles against the argument that utilities are downstream receivers, not PFAS manufacturers. The Guardian+1
Why it matters: PFAS treatment and cleanup can become a major driver of multi-year rate pressure, capital plans, and cost-recovery strategy.
3) Natural gas: holiday lull + weather shifts keep prices volatile (impacts utility fuel costs and procurement)
Natural gas markets saw holiday-thinned trading and weather-driven swings, while industry indicators pointed to week-over-week demand changes and a “warmer-than-normal” outlook in parts of the near-term forecast. Natural Gas Intel+1
Why it matters: Gas-price volatility has a direct impact on utility fuel riders, purchased-gas adjustments, and in shaping overall winter affordability narratives.
4) Utility regulation & refunds: commissions tighten review of plant cost recovery (example: Colstrip-related over-collections)
A state commission ordered customer refunds tied to disallowed/over-collected costs for a coal-plant-related recovery request, reinforcing the trend toward more granular prudence review and implementing solutions that follow a set of “only what’s necessary” standards for recovery. WA Utilities Commission+2KREM+2
Why it matters: This is a reminder and further evidence that cost recovery—especially as it pertains to legacy generation and large capital items—will likely be facing higher evidentiary and political hurdles in the foreseeable future.
5) Federal permitting & pipeline regulation: FERC scoping notice underscores how environmental review timelines shape infrastructure delivery
A Federal Register notice kicked off scoping/comments for a proposed natural gas project allowing stakeholders to "weigh in", illustrating how NEPA scoping and environmental review steps are central to timeline risk for midstream and utility fuel reliability projects. Federal Register
Why it matters: Permitting pace can have a direct affect on deliverability, reliability, and long-run costs—especially when we are in a power demand growth period, which is pushing the “build everything faster” imperative.