So many questions, so few answers.

It was a rare occasion to see Hawaii’s three top energy leaders go before Congress on Thursday, grilled over circumstances about the deadly Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire. Unfortunately, the “hard questions” — asked by U.S. House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Morgan Griffith and colleagues — were met with few satisfying answers, and in fact, raised many more disturbing ones. To wit:

>> Shelee Kimura, CEO of Hawaiian Electric, was evasive about whether results of an internal investigation into the utility’s role in the disaster would be disclosed to the public. “I think it’s too early to speculate on exactly what comes out of this and what form it comes out,” she said of the investigation — estimated to take 12-18 months — “but we are committed to sharing what’s critical with the public on this.”

Not good enough. The public deserves a full, unvarnished accounting of the utility’s situational awareness, and responses, during events of Aug. 7-8. The wildfire that leveled Lahaina killed at least 97 people, left 7,500 homeless and caused $5.5 billion in damage.

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., detected Kimura’s dodging. “Is there any reason why you wouldn’t make it public?” he pressed. “I mean, you seem to be hesitating a little bit.” To which Kimura repeated, “it’s just too early to speculate.”

>> Leo Asuncion Jr., chairman of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, was not able to articulate nor specify what penalties or enforcement actions are used by his regulatory agency to compel compliance on problems such as vegetation overgrowth around power poles and transmission lines, which risk fueling wildfires if sparks fly. Asuncion attempted general assurances that “processes” are in place, but instead, the PUC came across as plodding and lax.

PUC responses provoked U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., to say sharply: “Mr Chairman, I’m not satisfied with the answers. I would like the witness to provide to the committee, in detail, the enforcement measures the commission can impose on a utility that doesn’t comply with the regulations.”

Palmer was right in his dissatisfaction. Asuncion Jr. said he would provide the committee that information — which also should be shared with Hawaii’s people so that they know the PUC is capable of real-time responses and will firmly hold utilities it regulates accountable.

Asuncion’s responses also revealed a gap that needs filling: a new avenue — a citizens’ hotline, perhaps — in which credible problems or risky conditions can be reported, enabling remedies to occur more promptly, as well as enforcement or penalties, if needed.

Overall, the congressional hearing — it also heard from Mark Glick, Hawaii’s chief energy officer — was unsatisfying: It did not receive a comprehensive timeline of Aug. 7-8 events nor details on how Maui Electric Co. reacted to “red flag” wind warnings, and the PUC vagueness over penalties for inaction on vegetation overgrowth was dismaying.

To be sure, there’s still much more to know, and thorough investigations take time. But timelines don’t change, and certain important facts should already be known — and disclosed publicly. Kimura did promise to give more details to the congressional committee about exactly what occurred on Aug. 7-8, such as when power stopped surging through downed lines in Lahaina.

But there simply were too many “I can’t recall” or lack of specifics from Hawaiian Electric’s CEO, when clarity is vital about what occurred when, and where protocols fell short. That would inform improvements now to better handle the next emergency, which could happen at any time, not 12 to 18 months hence.

It also was disconcerting to hear Kimura tell lawmakers that the utility does not have the legal authority nor is it responsible to clear dry vegetation on private property beneath power lines unless it grows high enough to impact lines.

That’s another example of an issue that needs addressing — by Hawaiian Electric and many other responsible parties. The utilities, landowners and government entities need to work in coordination. Jurisdictional silos cannot be the reason that dangerous conditions, including wildfire flareups, go unchecked. Post-Lahaina, mitigations and solutions must go well beyond “it’s not my problem,” to “it’s everyone’s problem.”