Greed + fossil fuels caused the climate crisis and the need for bill forgiveness
by Kirsten Kagimoto, Chapter Communications Manager | Reading time: 3 minutes
The same two factors caused the climate crisis and today's need for electricity bill forgiveness—greed and fossil fuels.
#Fossilfuel executives knew as early as the 1960s that their products caused detrimental, irreversible changes to the world's climate, leading us into the climate crisis we are today. These executives used their power and money to lie to decision makers, governments and the people in order to make billions of dollars a year for decades and decades. They chose to hide the science for their own profit. #greed
Today, the need for bill forgiveness exists not only because of the impacts of COVID-19 but because Hawaiʻi's electricity is so expensive—three times more than the national average. It was already difficult for Hawaiʻi's families to afford electricity even before the pandemic.
Hawaiʻi's electricity rates are high because Hawaiian Electric has chosen to remain reliant on expensive #fossilfuels, mainly oil and coal, and has dragged its feet for years in transitioning to renewable energy. Despite the 2015 law requiring Hawaiʻi to be 100% renewable energy powered by 2045, most of Hawaiʻi is still powered by over 60% fossil fuels. Yes, Hawaiian Electric is making their annual renewable energy benchmarks, but they are certainly not moving any faster than required by law or even as fast as they could be transitioning if they truly wanted to.
Why? Because fossil fuels are expensive. And Hawaiian Electric passes the high costs of fossil fuels down to you, the ratepayer. Higher rates for you = higher profit for them. Clean, renewable energy is more cost effective in the long run, meaning lower rates and less profits.
Hawaiian Electric is keeping Hawaiʻi hooked on fossil fuels for its own profit. #greed
This greed and reliance on fossil fuels has historically made electricity rates so high in our islands that bills are difficult to pay. Now, in the economic downturn from COVID-19, many more households are struggling to pay their bills. All the while, Hawaiian Electric made more money ($169.3 million) in 2020 than any year before.
The Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi commends the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission for issuing the mandatory utility shutoff moratorium and the subsequent extensions now through May 31, 2021. The commission's quick action has helped to relieve immediate financial burden on thousands of Hawaiʻi's families. However, this moratorium will be less effective without bill forgiveness and other robust utility payment assistance programs. Once the moratorium is lifted in April, thousands will likely still be unemployed, facing thousands of dollars in back bills and potentially electricity disconnections.
With the recent federal aid bill passed, there will be rent and utility payment assistance programs that will be brought back online. The Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi is urging the Public Utilities Commission to prioritize distributing these funds based on utilities' financial standing. Most other utilities in Hawaiʻi are not profiting hundreds of millions of dollars a year like Hawaiian Electric, and that is why smaller utilities, that are not corporate monopolies, deserve more payment assistance funds than our electric utility.
Our friends, families and neighbors need direct bill forgiveness and we need it to come from the for-profit utility that put us in this financial hardship with its high electricity rates. Hawaiian Electric can certainly afford it, they increased their profits even without these payments.
Call on Hawaiian Electric's CEO to do what is right for our community and use a small percent of its profits to forgive overdue bills from COVID-19. They didn't need those payments to turn a profit and they don't need it now. Take action today and email the CEO directly.