Hawaiian Electric defends actions ahead of Maui fire, saying it followed protocol

The CEO of Hawaiian Electric on Thursday defended her company’s decision not to cut the power to certain lines ahead of devastating fires, insisting the company was following protocol.

“Those decisions were made years before as part of … our protocols,” CEO Shelee Kimura told lawmakers during a House hearing. 

“In 2019 our team started developing a wildfire mitigation plan and based on what they had learned of the plans in California including their preemptive shutoff program, they determined … that that wasn’t the appropriate fit for Hawaii,” she said in response to questions from Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.).

“So when you’re asking ‘why didn’t we shut off the power,’ that is not our protocol,” Kimura said. 

She also reiterated the company’s past statements that its lines caused only a morning fire, but the fire that ravaged Maui over the summer and killed 97 people was a separate afternoon fire.

During the tense House hearing, Kimura also stopped short of committing to sharing the company’s internal investigation with the public once it is completed.

“It’s too early to speculate on exactly what comes out of this and what form it comes out, but we are committed to sharing what’s critical with the public on this,” Kimura said.

“Is there any reason why you wouldn’t make it public?” pressed Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.).

“It’s just too early to speculate on what that is going to look like in the future. We’re very focused on finding out what happened there to make sure that it never happens again,” Kimura replied.