Premises Description

Idaho Power Company, incorporated in 1916 and headquartered in Boise, is the primary investor-owned electric utility serving southern Idaho and portions of eastern Oregon. Its historic generating fleet is dominated by hydroelectric stations on the Snake River — including the Hells Canyon Complex (Brownlee, Oxbow, and Hells Canyon dams) and older stations at C.J. Strike, Swan Falls, and American Falls — and by partial ownership shares in the Jim Bridger coal-fired plant near Rock Springs, Wyoming (co-owned with PacifiCorp), together with historic minority interests in the Boardman (OR) and Valmy (NV) coal stations.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that pre-1985 Idaho Power generating stations and co-owned coal plants contained asbestos-containing thermal insulation on boiler headers, superheaters, feedwater piping, and turbine casings; asbestos-containing gaskets and packing in valves, pumps, wicket-gate assemblies, and condenser waterboxes; asbestos millboard and transite panels in switchgear and transformer vaults at Idaho Power substations; and asbestos-refractory brick in Jim Bridger combustion chambers. Plaintiffs allegedly encountered airborne asbestos during turbine overhauls at the Snake River hydro plants, during scheduled outages at Jim Bridger, and during insulation tear-out and re-lagging at both facility types.

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs alleged that hydro-plant operators, turbine mechanics, pipefitters, insulators, electricians, and millwrights working at Idaho Power stations and at co-owned coal plants from approximately 1940 through the mid-1980s were exposed to respirable asbestos fibers when turbine casings and pipe lagging were removed, gaskets were scraped from flange faces, valve packing was repacked, and refractory brick was chipped. Outage contractors and helpers were also allegedly exposed during these operations.

If You Worked With Idaho Power Facilities and Have Been Diagnosed With Mesothelioma

If you or a family member worked at an Idaho Power hydroelectric station, at the Jim Bridger coal-fired plant, or at an Idaho Power substation and later received a mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diagnosis, you may have legal claims against premises owners, insulation contractors, and asbestos-product manufacturers. Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956