HEI has used similar tactics in Hawaii in the past, e.g. HEI's years-long PR campaign to tell us how "green" HEI wants to be, while constantly dragging its heals in its efforts to actually reduce our dependency on imported fossil fuels, and replace them with local renewable resources, because doing so faster would violate its primary fiduciary responsibility to maximize return on investment to HEI's shareholders and over-paid executives.

So I think the "undue" influence you perceive between state government and HEI is real, but in a nearly opposite sense. I think it is HEI that has had undue influence over some state legislators in the present and past, who have taken actions to protect HEI's monopoly profits, and to restrict customer freedom of choice regarding where and how they get their electricity.--con't