Republican leaders of a congressional committee have joined a swelling brigade of other government officials and attorneys wanting answers from Hawaiian Electric and state agencies about actions that may have contributed to the deadly Aug. 8 fire in Lahaina.
Three members of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter Wednesday to the company, the state Public Utilities Commission and the Hawaii State Energy Office with questions about actions addressing fire risks before Aug. 8, a sequence of events that day and other things in connection with the regulated utility and the Maui disaster.
Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and two subcommittee chairs said in the letter that they are empowered to oversee energy supply, reliability of all power and regulation of energy resources throughout the country.
“To that end, we seek a fuller understanding of the role, if any, of the electric infrastructure in this tragic event,” the letter said. “We must come to a complete understanding of how this disaster started to ensure Hawaii and other states are prepared to prevent and stop other deadly wildfires.”
The Lahaina fire killed at least 115 people and damaged or destroyed roughly 2,700 mostly residential buildings. It is the deadliest fire in U.S. history in over a century, and the cost of physical damage is estimated at $5.6 billion.
Among the things sought by the committee leaders:
>> All actions taken by Hawaiian Electric and the two agencies to mitigate vegetation on Maui for fire safety
>> Spending over the past 10 years by Hawaiian Electric on Maui utility infrastructure and energy generation to meet Hawaii renewable energy mandates and to address identified fire risks
>> PUC orders or actions to address fire risks to the electrical grid on Maui since 2018, as well as any such actions by Hawaiian Electric pending at the PUC
>> Actions by Hawaiian Electric to address fire risks to the electrical grid on Maui from 2018 to Aug. 8
>> Whether the Energy Office has been involved in grid modernization, hardening and resilience efforts by Hawaiian Electric
>> Whether Hawaiian Electric removed any damaged power lines and poles or other equipment damaged by fire on Maui after Aug. 8
The letter authors also want to know whether the company or the two agencies received any money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 or the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
Darren Pai, a Hawaiian Electric spokesperson, said the company received the letter and looks forward to working with the committee.
Claudia Rapkoch, a spokesperson for the Energy Office, said the agency received the letter and is preparing timely responses to the questions directed to it.
David Richmond, a spokesperson for the PUC, said the commission is preparing responses to the committee’s questions.
The congressional committee has 52 members, of which 29 are Republicans and 23 are Democrats. Hawaii’s two representatives in the House, Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda, are both Democrats and are not on the committee.
Case declined to comment through a representative. Tokuda was not immediately available to comment.
The two other authors of the letter are Reps. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and H. Morgan Griffith, R-Va.
Duncan chairs the committee’s Subcommittee on Energy, Climate and Grid Security. Griffith chairs the committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
The authors said in the letter that “our hearts are with the people of Maui as they confront immense grief, sadness and despair, especially for those who are still searching for their missing loved ones. The pain is unimaginable and the road to recovery is long.”
The four-page letter also cited various media reports about long-known wildfire risks on Maui, a suspected cause of the deadly fire being a fallen Hawaiian Electric power line blown down by extreme wind; litigation filed by Maui County against the utility over the fire’s cause; and an allegation that the utility’s removal of damaged equipment has hurt fire investigator work, which the utility has denied.
GOP House Committee letter … by Honolulu Star-Advertiser
