Hawaiian Electric Co. is making a final legislative push this month, asking lawmakers to help shore up its financial foundation, which crumbled after the 2023 Maui wildfire that killed 102 people and destroyed much of Lahaina.
HECO and its parent company, which were found to have started the Lahaina fire, have made enormous progress since the August 2023 catastrophe. Most notably HECO settled lawsuits brought by more than 2,000 fire victims as part of a global settlement brokered by Gov. Josh Green and blessed by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court in February.
HECO says it still needs the Legislature’s help, chiefly in the form of protection from future wildfire lawsuits, in the hopes such a measure can help boost the company’s credit rating. The provision limiting the utility’s liability is now the most important piece of a wildfire mitigation bill that has gone through various iterations this session, said Jim Kelly, HECO’s vice presi