Biden Tells Dem Governors He’s Fine Except For His ‘Brain’
Biden Tells Dem Governors He’s Fine Except For His ‘Brain’
Hawaii's Dem governor blames climate change for Maui wildfires while simultaneously promising to make 'no excuses'
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) promised to make "no excuses" for the devastation that Maui suffered from wildfires on Sunday in the same interview in which he blamed climate change.
In a news report that aired on CBS' "Face the Nation," Green appeared to blame the Maui wildfires, at least in part, on "global warming." Anchor Margaret Brennan then sought to clarify whether that meant Green believed climate change played a role in the level of devastation on Maui.
"Just to be clear, when you're talking about global warming, are you saying that climate change amplified the cost of human error?" Brennan asked.
"Yes, it did," Green responded. "There's always going to be incredible things that people do to save lives, from the firefighters, from citizens. And there's always going to be decisions that are made that I'm sure aren't perfect in the moment."
The Democratic governor then began to hedge. He suggested the wildfires were unmanageable because of climate change, pointing out the fire that destroyed Lahaina "moved more than a mile a minute" driven by powerful winds from Hurricane Dora that "just destroyed everything."
And yet, Green somehow managed say that he is making no excuses for what happened.
"So, there's no excuses to ever be made, but there are finite resources sometimes in the moment," he said.
Earlier in the interview, Green had declared, "Climate change is here. We are in the midst of it with a hotter planet and fiercer storms."
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says "I wish all the sirens went off" on Maui during wildfires www.youtube.com
Hawaii officials are facing intense criticism for actions — or the lack thereof — taken before and during the wildfires
For instance, Herman Andaya, the now-former administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, failed to sound the siren warning system during the fires, a decision he vowed not to regret. The deputy director of Hawaii's Commission on Water Resource Management, meanwhile, was reportedly reassigned over allegations that he delayed Maui firefighters' access to more water after previously expressing concern over water "equity."
Additionally, Hawaiian Electric is facing the prospect of a massive lawsuit after the wildfires, which could send the utility company into bankruptcy. Data and video suggest the wildfires were initially caused by power lines knocked down by fierce winds. As TheBlaze reported, Hawaiian Electric has been accused of prioritizing renewable energy over the maintenance of its power lines.
Yes, wildfires are unpredictable and fast-moving. But the National Weather Service had warnedtwo days before the fires broke out that atmospheric conditions — driven by a high pressure system to the north of the islands and a strong low-pressure cyclone in Hurricane Dora to the south — were ripe for creating "serious fire" threats, and the organization issued a red flag warning.
The warnings were there. Sounds more like "human error" than climate change.
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Hawaii's Dem governor tries to suspend property sales in wildfire damaged town — but wants the state 'to acquire that land'
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) wants to enact a moratorium on property transactions in Lahaina, the Maui-based city destroyed by wildfires last week.
Green revealed on Monday that he asked Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez (D) to explore legal maneuvers to suspend "any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed" by the wildfires in Lahaina.
According to Green, his motivation for such action is to prevent Maui residents from being "victimized" by out-of-state people (or companies) seeking to grab up land at a reduced price.
"My intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grab," Green said on Wednesday. "People are right now traumatized. Please do not approach them with an offer to buy their land. Do not approach their families saying they'll be much better off if they make a deal. Because we’re not going to allow it."
But, at the same time, Green is exploring how the state can grab up some of that precious land, some of which he would like to use for "workforce housing."
Green said this week:
I'm already thinking about ways for the state to acquire that land, so that we can put it into workforce housing, to put it back into families, or to make it open spaces in perpetuity as a memorial to people who were lost. We want this to be something that we remember, after the pain passes, as a magic place. And Lahaina will rebuild. The tragedy right now is the loss of life. The buildings can be rebuilt over time; even the Banyan tree may survive.
The realities of the scene on Front Street in Lahaina www.youtube.com
Last month, Green issued an emergency housing proclamation, which, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat, "suspends several state and county laws" to expedite housing development.
Now, he plans to use the crisis to control the fire-ravaged land.
"Much of what we do is challenged by other laws, federal and otherwise, that don’t let us restrict who can buy in our state. ... But we can do it deliberately during a crisis, and that's what we're doing," he said, according to the Civil Beat. "And so for my part I will try to allow no one from outside our state to buy any land until we get through this crisis and decide what Lahaina should be in the future."
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