It looks like we’re zeroing in on the cause of the Maui fires. If this is true, it’s a case of not learning your lesson the first time. The fire in Paradise, California, should have straightened people out, but the rigid party can’t change direction. They have no brake or reverse as they step up their ideology. It is now believed that sparks likely started the Maui fires from electric utility lines owned by Hawaiian Electric.
A few years ago, 100 people were killed in Paradise, California, for that exact reason. The PG&E power lines were not properly maintained.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the 17th that Hawaiian Electric has been aware for years of the vulnerability and hazards of its electricity lines but has done virtually nothing about it. [No one has disputed this is the cause.]
The Journal’s subheading explains why. “It made little progress, focusing on a shift to clean energy.”
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Between 2019 and 2022, it invested less than $245,000 on wildfire-specific projects on the island, regulatory filings show.
[…]
“Former regulators and energy company officials said the utility was focused at that time on procuring renewable energy. “
[…]
“You have to look at the scope and scale of the transformation within [Hawaiian Electric] that was occurring throughout the system,” said Mina Morita, who chaired the state utilities commission from 2011 to 2015. “While there was concern for wildfire risk, politically, the focus was on electricity generation.”
The drive to reach the renewable goals also preoccupied private energy companies working with Hawaiian Electric and state energy officials, said Doug McLeod, a consultant who served for several years as the Maui county energy commissioner.
“Looking back with hindsight, the business opportunities were on the generation side, and the utility was going out for bid with all these big renewable-energy projects,” he said. “But in retrospect, it seems clear; we weren’t as focused on these fire risks as we should have been.”
All that matters is the agenda, not the reality, and not the people. We were falsely told that the climate crisis poses an existential risk. As a result, they ignored the real existential risk.
The climate crazies might be responsible for hundreds of deaths – unnecessary deaths. Many were children. Following an ideology, ignoring the welfare of the people and realistic timelines leads to mass death. Will they learn from this? It isn’t very likely.
You should also know that Hawaii Public Utilities Commission did not grant rate increases. Hawaiian Electric requested to pay for safety upgrades to the grid.
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