Staff Reports
keep the lights on in Hawaii, is being accused of turning a blind eye to the growing wildfire dangers in the region. It seems that while everyone else was panicking about flames consuming everything in sight, Hawaiian Electric was off daydreaming about windmills and solar panels.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the company knew about the need for stronger preventive measures against wildfires four years ago. They even admitted that their power lines were causing sparks, which are basically like little fire starters. But instead of doing something about it, they decided to go all-in on their green energy initiatives. Seriously? Green energy can’t stop a wildfire, folks.
JUST IN: Hawaiian Electric, one of the leading energy companies in Hawaii, has been accused of ignoring the escalating wildfire threats in the region prior to the devastating Lahaina wildfire to prioritize “green energy”.
The climate cult strikes again!https://t.co/tOl2pmYgee
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) August 17, 2023
The 2019 wildfire season was a nightmare for the people of Maui. The blazes tore through countless acres of land, destroying everything in their path. And now, it looks like Hawaiian Electric’s equipment may have played a role in the destruction in the town of Lahaina. Talk about dropping the ball.
But wait, it gets worse. Hawaiian Electric actually asked to raise rates in order to fund a plan to prepare for climate change-related stresses, like elevated wildfire risks. So basically, they wanted to charge customers more money to fix a problem they should’ve been working on years ago. Sounds like a classic case of poor planning and mismanagement to me.
The company claimed there was an “urgent need” to complete these upgrades, but they wouldn’t start until they had permission from the state to pass the costs onto customers. In other words, they were waiting for the green light to make the taxpayers foot the bill for their mistakes. Unbelievable.
Hawaiian Electric’s obsession with renewable energy clearly took precedence over the safety and well-being of the people they serve. As one former energy commissioner put it, they were too focused on “bid[ding] with all these big renewable-energy projects” to pay attention to the very real and immediate threat of wildfires. It’s a classic case of putting profits over people.
Investigations are now underway to figure out just how deep Hawaiian Electric’s involvement in the wildfires goes. And while the death toll continues to rise, one thing is clear: this company failed in its most basic duty to protect the people of Hawaii. It’s time for some serious accountability and some serious changes in how we prioritize energy security in this country.
