Energy Committee Republicans press Hawaiian utility on fire origins

Republican leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to Hawaii’s electric utility Thursday seeking details in connection with the wildfires that have devastated Maui.

In a Thursday letter to Hawaiian Electric, Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) joined Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) in requesting information on the utility’s risk management ahead of the fires.

“In our capacity as Chairs of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representatives and its respective energy policy and oversight subcommittees, we are empowered to oversee energy supply, reliability of all power, and regulation of energy resources throughout the country,” they wrote. “To that end, we seek a fuller understanding of the role, if any, of the electric infrastructure in this tragic event.”  

In the letter, McMorris Rodgers, Duncan and Griffith asked for details on the utility’s last decade of fire prevention efforts, as well as any moves by Hawaiian Electric, the state Public Utilities Commission and state Energy Office to address the fire risk from invasive grasses.

“Hawaiian Electric is doing everything possible to support those who have been impacted on Maui as we continue our restoration and rebuilding efforts. We are also working with a number of different entities to keep our communities safe, as climate issues rapidly intensify here and around the globe,” a Hawaiian Electric spokesperson told The Hill in a statement. “We have received the letter from the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, and look forward to working with the committee.”

A state lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric alleges that the utility bears responsibility for the outbreak of the fires due to its failure to shut off power. 

Earlier this week, the utility conceded the initial fire was started by downed power lines but blamed the severity of the fire on county firefighting crews for prematurely declaring that initial fire contained. Attorneys for Maui County have argued that any responsibility on the part of the firefighters is moot because they could not have made any errors had the power lines not started the fire in the first place.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested last week that the House’s GOP majority would launch an investigation into the federal response to the fires as well. The fires have killed at least 115 people, with more than 1,000 estimated missing. 

— Updated 3:46 p.m.