In late September, the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations held a hearing on the role of electric infrastructure in the wildfire that occurred in Lahaina on Maui on August 8. Hawaiian Electric President and CEO Shelee Kimura, along with Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Chair Leo Asuncion, and Hawai’i State Energy Office Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick, provided testimony and answered questions from the committee members, who had launched an investigation into the wildfire and each entities’ response.
This hearing was a significant step in initiating a broader, national conversation about what needs to be done to make electric companies, and the communities they serve, more resilient against increasing climate risk and extreme weather events. The growing threat created by wildfires is a problem that challenges not only Maui, but the nation and the world. The hearing raised questions about how electric companies, regulators, private property owners, and other stakeholders can take a holistic, collaborative approach to address these increasing risks.
The entire hearing ran around two hours, but this episode features key audio segments, including Shelee’s responses about Hawaiian Electric's application for a grid hardening project that had been pending with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission since last year, Hawaiian Electric’s wildfire protocols, and the obstacles to undergrounding power lines. You can watch the entire hearing on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's YouTube page: https://youtu.be/Jc2SIl6kiY4.
Collaborating to Combat Wildfires
Global Circuit: Navigating the Energy Transition in Island Environments
Advancing Carbon-Free Technologies to Reach Net-Zero Emissions
Siting and Permitting Reforms Are Necessary for a Clean Energy Future
Empowering Communities Through DEI and Workforce Development
Women in Leadership
Electric Power Industry Outlook for 2023
Planning and Preparing for Hurricane Season Year-Round
Reinvesting in Clean Energy Infrastructure
055 Electric Perspectives: EPRI Drives Collaboration to Enhance Energy Grid Resilience
054 Electric Perspectives: EEI 2022 Highlights: Energy Resilience, Geopolitics, Supply Chains, Hydrogen, and More!
053 Electric Perspectives: Enhancing Industry Coordination and Building Resilience After Superstorm Sandy
052 Electric Perspectives: Partnering to Stop Scams
051 Global Circuit: Co-creating Energy Solutions with Local Communities
050 Electric Perspectives: Leading the Clean Energy Transformation
049 Electric Perspectives: Celebrating Electric Vehicles
048 Global Circuit: Adopting A Customer-Centric Strategy for the Energy Transition
047 Electric Perspectives: Helping Customers Access LIHEAP Assistance
046 Electric Perspectives: EEI 2022 Highlights: EVs, ESG, and Cybersecurity
045 Electric Perspectives: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on America’s Resilient Clean Energy Future
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Aligned Money Show
Gorse Culture PODcast : The H.R. Detective Agency!
HCI Leadership Revolution
The Ramsey Show
Planet Money