Maui County is suing energy company Hawaiian Electric for damages caused by wildfires on the island.
The lawsuit was filed in Second Circuit court and names Maui Electric Company, Limited, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc. and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. as defendants, according to the local news channel. . KITV.
He alleges the companies acted negligently when they failed to turn off their equipment following the red flag warning issued by the National Weather Services on August 7.
Some suggest that Hawaiian Electric equipment played a role in accelerating the wildfires that ravaged the island.
The Maui wildfires that erupted on August 8 have killed 115 people, but the toll is expected to rise further as more than 1,000 people are still missing.
Following the devastating wildfires seen this month, questions swirl around the utility company’s role in the blaze, in which 115 people have lost their lives so far.
An aerial view of damaged buildings in Lahaina, Hawaii following a large wildfire
The lawsuit claims the power lines were still live when they were downed by high winds and ignited the dry grass and bushes that started the deadly fires.
Maui County says lack of system and network maintenance caused system failures and sparked three fires on the island.
“Maui County stands with the residents and communities of Lāhainā and Kula to recover damage to public resources and rebuild after these devastating utility-ignited fires,” the lawsuit states.
“These damages include loss of public infrastructure, firefighting costs, loss of revenue, increased costs, environmental damage and loss of historical or cultural monuments. »
Hawaiian Electric was under scrutiny for failing to shut down power lines when high winds created dangerous fire conditions.
Several reports have surfaced detailing allegations that the company’s failure to properly maintain its network led to the disaster.
Videos have also surfaced on Facebook claiming to show power lines tangled in overgrown trees and vegetation.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the fires.
Shelee Kimura, CEO of Hawaiian Electric, said the company does not have an automatic shutdown plan that other utilities use to contain fires, during a news conference Aug. 14.
This image, taken at the Maui Bird Conservation Center near Makawao, appears to show a bright flash in the woods that many believe was caused by a tree falling on a power line.
Shelee Kimura, CEO of Hawaiian Electric, said the company does not have an automatic shutdown plan that other utilities use to contain fires, during a news conference Aug. 14.
She said it could harm the elderly, hospital patients and interfere with water pumps, which are essential for firefighting.
A company representative said an investigation was underway to determine what happened.
The company’s stock price plunged and was classified as junk by S&P after lawsuits on behalf of victims alleged it was responsible for the deadly Maui wildfires.
Lahaina residents in one of the lawsuits claimed Hawaiian Electric was responsible for the fires after failing to cut power lines despite warnings from the National Weather Service that high winds could knock down those lines and start wildfires rapidly spreading.
“By not turning off the power during these dangerous fires, the defendants caused death, serious injury, the destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses, the displacement of thousands of people, and damage to numerous historic sites and Hawaii’s cultural heritage,” the report said. said the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which raises, among other things, claims of gross negligence and private nuisance.
Hawaiian Electric agreed to investigate their role and said it would cooperate with a separate investigation into the fire launched by the Hawaii attorney general last week.
“We all think it’s important to understand what happened. And I think we all think it’s important to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” chief executive Kimura said.
Hawaiian Electric provides electricity to 95% of Hawaii residents, according to the company’s website.
The wildfires saw the company’s stock price drop 68%, from $37.36 on August 7 to $11.86 on August 24.
The utility’s stock-selling rush sent its stock price plummeting to levels not seen since 1987, and bondholders paid off the company’s debt at steep discounts.
According to regulatory documents, he prioritized the search for renewable energy over the prevention of wildfires.
The company, which provides electricity to 95% of the local population, concluded during the 2019 wildfires that it needed to do more to prevent its power lines from sparking.
He pledged to conduct drone surveys to identify areas vulnerable to wildfires and determine how to help keep residents and infrastructure safe.
But four years later, very little has followed, and only $245,000, between 2019 and 2022, has been invested in wildfire-specific projects on the island, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Hawaiian Electric instead focused on converting to renewable energy after the oil price spike in 2008, as it depends on oil imports for 80 percent of its energy supply.
In 2015, lawmakers passed a law requiring the state to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2045, the first such requirement in the United States.
Hawaiian Electric revealed in 2017 that it would hit that target five years ahead of schedule, but that focus may have come at the expense of fire mitigation, some experts say.
Their dedication to the cause has been linked to the fires and why they could face financial ruin and find themselves facing ongoing litigation.
Hawaiian Electric also told the WSJ that routine utility work, including trimming or removing trees and upgrading, replacing and inspecting equipment, is how they kept it to a minimum. the risk of forest fires.
He said he has spent about $84 million on tree maintenance and work in Maui County since 2018.
Crews of more than 400 people worked across Maui to repair transmission lines and restore power to schools, water facilities and hotels that are expected to serve as temporary shelters.
Hawaiian Electric said Thursday it has restored power to more than 80 percent of its customers.
Hawaiian Electric Industries reported cash of $143.6 million in June, and analysts believe that will be more than enough to pay for the ongoing cleanup.
