Maui Wildfire Lessons: Maintenance and Prevention Critical

In 2021, President Biden signed into law a massive $1 trillion infrastructure bill, boasting that it was “the largest investment in the resilience of physical and natural systems in American history.” More than $50 billion was earmarked to protect against droughts, heat, floods, and wildfires.

But the recent wildfires in Hawaii — the deadliest in American history, with more than 1,000 people still unaccounted for — should throw into sharp focus just what the bill does and doesn’t do. Yes, lots of money is being poured into semiconductor plants and trendy “clean energy” projects, along with the replacement of some ageing infrastructure.

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John Fund

John Fund is National Review’s national-affairs reporter.

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In 2021, President Biden signed into law a massive $1 trillion infrastructure bill, boasting that it was “the largest investment in the resilience of physical and natural systems in American history.” More than $50 billion was earmarked to protect against droughts, heat, floods, and wildfires.

But the recent wildfires in Hawaii — the deadliest in American history, with more than 1,000 people still unaccounted for — should throw into sharp focus just what the bill does and doesn’t do. Yes, lots of money is being poured into semiconductor plants and trendy “clean energy” projects, along with the replacement of some ageing infrastructure.