Hawaii lawmakers question impartiality of Maui County's wildfire investigation

In the wake of the devastating wildfires that razed Lahaina last August, Hawaii state senators are raising significant doubts about Maui’s ability to conduct an impartial inquiry, citing ongoing lawsuits involving the county and Hawaiian Electric.

Sen. Glenn Wakai (D), Chair of Public Safety, rebuked the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for its passive stance, asserting that investigating incidents like the Lahaina fire falls within its jurisdiction.

“The (state attorney general) has asked us for money to do their investigation. I mean, this is kind of your wheelhouse,” chided Wakai. “You should have asked us for money, figured out who you need to contact, and then tell us what the price tag is for that investigation. But you did nothing in the area.”

Henry Curtis, executive director of Life of the Land and a prominent alternative energy advocate, criticized the PUC for not initiating an investigative process as mandated by law.

“The law clearly states that the Public Utilities Commission must open a proceeding to investigate the fire. The benefit is not only what happened but how to prevent it in the future,” Curtis said. “It’s been seven months since the fire occurred. And we need answers, and the Public Utilities Commission is the place to open a proceeding.”

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Colin Yost, a member of the PUC Commission, explained that while the agency is examining the role of electrical equipment and other factors, they're waiting for the conclusions of other ongoing investigations before taking further action.

“We don’t have the resources to really engage in that kind of effective counterpoint,” the commissioner said.

The PUC is facing increasing pressure—from Congress and local lawmakers alike—for answers following the release of footage showing electric lines igniting brush on August 8. The wildfires resulted in more than 100 deaths, displaced over 8,000 residents, and caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damages to the island.

Concerns persist regarding the impartiality of Maui County’s investigation, particularly as the county is embroiled in lawsuits with Hawaiian Electric and is also a defendant in numerous lawsuits related to the fire.

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Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole (D) raised the issue of a potential conflict of interest, pointing out that Maui County is responsible for conducting the causation investigation. Yost refrained from presuming a conflict until the report was issued, drawing criticism from Keohokalole for his passive approach.

“The County of Maui is implicated in most, I think every lawsuit that’s been filed by attorneys on behalf of fire victims,” Keohokalole said. “Don’t you see a conflict of interest presented by the fact that Maui County is responsible for the causation investigation?”

“I’m not certain that I can determine whether or not a conflict exists,” said Yost.

State Attorney General Anne Lopez’s (D) office announced earlier this month that the findings of the first phase of a state investigation into how government agencies handled the devastating wildfires will be delayed until April 17.

The delay is due, in part, to the 64 subpoenas sent to Maui County since November to help the Fire Safety Research Institute get interviews with police and firefighters, Maui Emergency Management Agency officials, and other local officials.

Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X @JeremyYurow

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hawaii lawmakers doubt Maui County's impartiality in wildfire probe