The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from 22 states sued Amazon on Aug. 31, claiming the online retail company used artificial bids to inflate costs for advertisers, bringing in tens of billions of dollars.
As Washington state reels from a devastating wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes in Spokane last weekend, experts say the disaster has cast newfound uncertainty over a property insurance market that had just begun to stabilize.
But the market’s success, experts agree, depends heavily on which states and utilities decide to opt in. As energy issues have become increasingly politicized, it’s uncertain whether Western leaders can buy into a common vision for meeting the region’s power needs.