Page 2 - Distribution Resilience Program News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

During the first Congressional fact-finding hearing about the deadly Aug. 8 Lahaina fire, members of the US House Energy & Commerce subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations grilled Hawaiian Electric President and CEO Shelee Kimura about de-energizing power lines, wildfire mitigation efforts and replacing above ground lines connected to wood poles with buried lines.

Claiming a utility company chose renewable energy over resiliency investments reveals a lack of understanding of how regulated utilities work.

Hawaiian Electric is facing numerous lawsuits over the Maui fires and questions are being asked about the companies ability to pay any successful claims.

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm came to Maui to offer federal help for energy recovery from the fires and tout the US Energy Department’s $95 million grant to Hawaiian Electric for grid infrastructure improvements and wildfire mitigation.

The promise came directly from President Joe Biden: On Aug. 30, he announced that the federal government would allocate $95 million to upgrade Hawaiian Electric’s energy grids.