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.
024 Global Circuit: Understanding Complexity for More Effective Climate Policy
023 Electric Perspectives: Uniting to Stop Utility Scams
022 Electric Perspectives: Cybersecurity Is A Shared Responsibility
021 Electric Perspectives: Drones Have Sky-High Potential for Electric Companies
020 Global Circuit: Sustaining Collaboration Towards a Clean Energy Future
019 Electric Perspectives: Driving Electric Transportation Forward
018 Global Circuit: Strengthening Communications Using Biomimicry
017 Electric Perspectives: An Army of Lineworkers Restoring Power After Hurricane Ida
016 Electric Perspectives: Building a Skilled Energy Workforce
015 Global Circuit: Setting the Stage for a Net Zero Economy
014 Global Circuit: Developing the Energy Workforce for an Equitable Transition
013 Electric Perspectives: Expanding and Enhancing the Transmission System Will Help Advance a Clean Energy Future
012 Electric Perspectives: Preparing the Next Generation Workforce
011 Global Circuit: Accelerating Innovation for the Clean Energy Transition
010 Electric Perspectives: Celebrating National Lineworker Appreciation Day
009 Electric Perspectives: Highlights from the EEI 2021 DEI Panels
008 Global Circuit: Designing the Right Solutions Using Local Context
007 Electric Perspectives: We All Should Be Preparing for Hurricane Season
006 Global Circuit: Attracting a Skilled Workforce to Achieve Net Zero
005 Electric Perspectives: Partnering on the Carbon-Free Technology Initiative
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