An Osage County judge has ruled that NextEra Energy Marketing violated Oklahoma law by charging excessive natural gas prices during Winter Storm Uri, Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced.
The ruling establishes the company’s liability under two state laws, but the amount it must pay will be determined at trial.
Drummond’s lawsuit seeks to recover money tied to the prices charged during the February 2021 storm.
“This ruling marks an important victory in our fight to hold NextEra accountable for the staggering prices Oklahomans were forced to pay during Winter Storm Uri,” Drummond said.
The court found NextEra liable under the Oklahoma Emergency Price Stabilization Act and the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act.
The decision follows the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Sept. 23 dismissal of a NextEra petition seeking federal jurisdiction over issues in the lawsuit. That dismissal allowed the case to continue in state court.
Drummond has filed several lawsuits accusing energy marketers of artificially inflating natural gas prices during the storm. Those cases have been consolidated.
