DHHL Begins Signing its own Building Permits
Green Appoints Takamine to Labor Board
PDF: FULL TEXT Lahaina Cause and origin report with BATF report as Appendix
3. The origin of the fire was the overgrown vegetation at and surrounding utility pole 25 off of Lahainaluna Road.
4. The cause of the fire was the re-energization of broken utility lines which caused the ejection of molten metallic material (sparks) to fall to the base of pole 25, igniting the unmaintained vegetation below. Additionally the arcing and severing of the energized overhead power line between pole 25 and 24 resulted in that line falling to the ground, subsequently igniting vegetation below. The continuation of the fire via rekindle was due to a hidden piece of smoldering material that made its way at an undetermined time via undetermined means to a susceptible fuel package in the gully just to the east and south of the existing burn area.
BATF Report on Cause and origin of Lahaina blazes to be released Today
SA: … at 1200 MFD will present “a summary of key findings” via livestreamed news conference on the >>> county’s social media <<< platforms today and will release the full findings detailing what caused the fatal wildfires and where they began on the county’s website.
LINK: VIDEO of News Conference -- Editor's Note: Per the comments at the news conference, the report focuses on the 'rekindling' of the morning fire as the cause of the afternoon fire which destroyed Lahaina and killed 102 people. The report acknowledges that a Lahaina fire chief ordered the removal of fire crews from the site which then rekindled. REDACTIONS: 'HECO proprietary information.'
“We are thankful for the scientific and comprehensive work of the ATF,” said Ventura in a statement Sept. 25. “We recognize the importance of releasing this information to the public, and my team and I are working diligently to integrate the findings into our Cause and Origin report so this complex fire analysis can be shared.”
The release of the findings of the ATF and Maui firefighter’s investigation comes nearly 14 months after the Aug. 8, 2023, fires.
On Sept. 13 state Attorney General Anne E. Lopez released the second phase of findings from a state investigation into how government responded to and managed the tragedy.
No single factor contributed to the worst U.S. wildfire of the past century; instead, a “a complex set of factors including weather and its impacts, risk and preparedness, decades-old infrastructure, organizational structure and incident management and coordination created a historic disaster,” according to the Attorney General’s Office….
(CLUE: This is the mantra from the Governor’s Office: ‘Nothing to see here, just move along.’)
PDF: FULL TEXT Lahaina Cause and origin report with BATF report as Appendix
Sept 25, 2024: Lahaina Fire BATF Report to be Released Weds Oct 2
KHON: “The ATF report itself is not going to have any impact on the settlement as far as I can see."--plaintiff attorney
read … Cause and origin of Lahaina blazes to be released
Shaping Media Coverage: Governor Green says re-ignition caused Lahaina wildfire
KHON: … Ahead of Wednesday’s expected release of the Lahaina wildfire cause and origin report from the ATF and Maui County, Hawaii Governor Josh Green told Wake Up 2Day Monday morning that the results are going to be “what everyone has expected.”
(TRANSLATION: ‘Nothing to see here, just move along.’)
“I think you’re going to see what everyone has already expected. The fire occurred. Some of the coals reignited and then went up in into the wind because of the, you know, hurricane-force winds that were 74 to 80 miles per hour. Very old wooden set of structures, and the town tragically burned.”
(TRANSLATION: ‘Nothing to see here, just move along.’)
The report has been delayed, but the ATF gave it to Maui County on September 23rd. Fire Chief Brad Ventura was briefed on the report on the 25th. In an effort to provide a comprehensive overview, MFD is currently integrating the ATF’s investigative insights into its own Cause and Origin report. The ATF report will be included as an appendix, ensuring that the public has access to all relevant information.
“I don’t think you’re going to find a single point of blame, per se. I think everyone has responsibility,” Governor Green added.
(TRANSLATION: ‘Nothing to see here, just move along.’)
Since announcing an over $4 billion settlement with victims, Governor Green has been lobbying against subrogation from insurance companies, which are trying to get reimbursed for claims….
(CLUE: There must be something in that report which will upset the fake 'settlement')
read … Governor Green says re-ignition caused Lahaina wildfire | KHON2
Kapi’olani, nurses reach tentative contract deal
SA: … HNA, in a post on Instagram, celebrated the tentative agreement, saying “Kapi‘olani nurses have just made history.”
“After a historic 18-day lockout, two strikes, and one year and 18 days of negotiations, HNA members at Kapi’olani won a monumental agreement that includes the first contractually enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios in Hawaii history,” said HNA in the post.
HNA said nurses would vote to ratify the contract Wednesday and are expected to return to work Sunday.….
read … Kapi’olani, nurses reach tentative contract deal
HECO Finally Able to Shut Down 70-year-old Oil-Fired Generators
IM: … Waiau 3 and 4 are currently the oldest generating units in operation on Oʻahu, having been commissioned in 1947, and 1950.
In the anticipation of their retirement, HECO has been limiting investment to these units. The last major overhaul to Waiau 3 was in 2004 and the last major overhaul to Waiau 4 was in 2006.
HECO asserted in its 2008 Integrated Resource Plan that it planned on retiring Waiau 3 in 2011 and Waiau 4 in 2014. HECO updated these plans in 2016, asserting that both units would be retired in 2023. HECO now plans to retire the units at the end of 2024….
(CLUE: Because green energy doesn’t work.)
“At this time, it appears that Waiau 3 & 4 can be safely retired without impacting service.” Furthermore, “HECO’s proposed treatment for Waiau 3 & 4 is consistent with what was approved for Honolulu 8 & 9, which involved similar circumstances.”
The Commission established approval conditions, notably, “At HECO’s next rate case or rate re-setting proceeding, HECO may seek to include the regulatory asset in rate base and seek to recover the amortization expense and a return on the unamortized balance of the regulatory asset.”
Commission Yost wrote, “Although I agree with the ultimate result, I write separately to express a different perspective on why the Commission’s Order is appropriate. In my view, the retirements of Waiau 3 & 4 are not “premature,” “accelerated” or targeted to facilitate Hawaii’s transition to 100% renewable energy.
“To the contrary, the record shows that Hawaiian Electric planned to retire Waiau 3 & 4 more than a decade ago but then pushed the units to operate beyond their expected useful life because replacement generation was not yet interconnected. Early retirement of aging fossil fuel generation is desirable for many reasons, but here, establishing a regulatory asset for the Waiau 3 & 4’s estimated stranded costs is justified solely by the regulatory compact.
“Further, notwithstanding the recent commercial operation of the KES and AES West Oahu projects, I believe that the near and medium-term interconnection of new distributed and utility-scale generation assets on Oahu remains urgent to improve reliability and resiliency – and to set the stage for early retirement of other fossil fuel units. The electric grid and the public clearly benefit when inefficient, unreliable and expensive generators may be retired sooner rather than later.”
read … HECO Ratepayers to Pay for Stranded Fossil Fuel Assets | Ililani Media
Key witness against Miske to be sentenced
ILind: … Jacob “Jake” Smith, who earlier admitted providing “muscle” to the criminal organization controlled by his former boss, Michael J. Miske Jr., is scheduled to appear before Federal Judge Derrick K. Watson via Zoom on Wednesday morning for sentencing.
Smith, 31, was one of the key witnesses against Miske during his nearly 6-month long trial which ended in Miske’s conviction on 13 federal charges, including several that call for mandatory life sentences. Smith spent four days on the witness stand describing what he saw during several years as a close Miske associate.
He is the first of the main witnesses to be sentenced.
Smith was moved from Honolulu’s Federal Detention Center to an undisclosed location on August 9 after he was beaten several times in apparent retaliation for his testimony against Miske.
He pleaded guilty in November 2020 to racketeering conspiracy and drug trafficking, which carries a minimum 10-year sentence….
read … Key witness against Miske to be sentenced
Honolulu police report alarming increase in ghost gun crimes
HNN: … In 2023, HPD said it seized 31 ghost guns. So far this year, that number is 60. Arrests for possession of untraceable are also up — from 16 last year to 25 this year….
Hawaii law already bans anyone other than licensed gun dealers or manufacturers from building firearms. But similar laws elsewhere will be challenged at the U.S. Supreme Court later this year.
Todd Yukutake, a Director with the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, said he expects the court will rule that building a personal firearm is protected by the Second Amendment.
“Manufacturing your own firearms has been an American tradition, you know, back to the founding era, or even before that,” Yukutake said. “Because, you know, not everyone could afford to buy guns.”…
read … Honolulu police report alarming increase in ghost gun crimes
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