Savannah Harriman-Pote
Energy & Climate Change ReporterSavannah Harriman-Pote is HPR's energy and climate change reporter. She is also the lead producer of HPR's first narrative podcast: This Is Our Hawaiʻi. Prior to that, she worked as a producer for The Conversation. She also produces Manu Minute in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. She was born and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, and she collects lava lamps.
Contact her at sharrimanpote@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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A controversial measure to keep Hawaiian Electric in good financial standing after the Maui wildfires has died in the state Senate. The bill would have allowed HECO to issue ratepayer-backed bonds to fund wildfire mitigation efforts.
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Scientists developed Hawaiʻi's tsunami evacuation maps based on the impacts of past tsunamis. But how will future risks like sea level rise be calculated into the state's disaster planning? HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports.
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Hawaiʻi stands to receive over $62 million from the Environmental Protection Agency for solar programs. The money comes from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which represents a $27 billion federal investment in reducing carbon emissions and the cost of electric bills across the country.
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Hawaiian Electric urged Hawaiʻi Island customers to conserve energy last week to avoid rolling blackouts. The island has had an "extremely" tight supply of energy over the last few weeks after HECO's independent power producer Hamakua Energy Partners went offline.
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Despite sizable public opposition, lawmakers are racing to finalize a bill that could pass the costs of the Maui wildfires onto ratepayers. HPR's Maddie Bender and Savannah Harriman-Pote explain what that means for Hawaiian Electric and its customers.
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Hawaiʻi's two electric utilities briefed the Senate on Thursday about their wildfire mitigation efforts since the Aug. 8 fires. The vast majority of the 3.5-hour briefing was dedicated to Hawaiian Electric.
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A new report released by Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez includes a minute-by-minute analysis of the actions taken by emergency organizations and first responders, as well as an assessment of the environmental conditions that exacerbated the Lahaina fire in August 2023. It does not, however, determine the cause of the fire. HPR's Ashley Mizuo and Savannah Harriman-Pote have more.
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Hawaiian Electric faces its share of recovery costs and legal fees related to the Maui wildfires. State lawmakers are debating whether or not to allow the utility to recoup some of those expenses through securitization — a fancy term for public financing of utility debt. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote has more.
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What happens to electric bills when utilities use ratepayer-backed bonds to cover wildfire costs; Opportunities to give back to the community amid declining rates of volunteerism
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Honolulu city officials have removed a Waikīkī lifeguard tower that was damaged by large swells in August 2020. The city is taking the opportunity to reevaluate its coastline infrastructure as sea levels rise. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports that one approach is mobile towers on sleds or skids that can be moved back as the sand erodes.