Hawaii moved a step toward the goal of many who would like to see a monumental advance for science take place in the islands. A conservation district use permit for the establishment of the Thirty Meter Telescope at the summit of Mauna Kea got a vote of confidence from the state hearings officer.
After the decade of false starts, however, even the most ardent TMT supporter knows that, like objects seen through an astronomer’s powerful lens, this goal is still much farther away than it appears.
Clearly the critics, principally a sector of the Native Hawaiian community, remain as fiercely opposed as ever. However advantageous having a state-of-the-art telescope would be for the state, and however it adds to the prestige of Hawaii island’s chief landmark, they say it’s an unacceptable breach of a sacred space.
Reaching the objective of landing the telescope project will require a pledge of unwavering support from those who see the TMT as a boon for Hawaii’s people, as well as for science.
This includes most crucially Gov. David Ige who, in the immediate aftermath of the hearings officer’s report to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, offered a brief statement of endorsement.
“Regardless of the BLNR’s ultimate decision, I support the co-existence of astronomy and culture on Mauna Kea along with better management of the mountain,” Ige said in his prepared statement. The governor needs to amplify his messaging further, telegraphing that should final clearance to build be given, his administration is fully prepared to see the project through.
On Wednesday former Circuit Judge Riki May Amano released a 305-page decision that opponents dismissed as biased.
Amano considered the assertions that the telescope activity represents desecration and found them meritless, based on state law.
The BLNR has set Sept. 20 as the date Opens in a new tab to begin hearing oral arguments on the permit application to construct the 18-story TMT telescope at the Mauna Kea Science Reserve.
This is the second full set of contested-case hearings on this project, which remains viable only as long as TMT officials ultimately decide to wait. Frustrated by a court ruling striking down the previous approval granted in 2013, the TMT International Observatory board has its eye on an alternative site in the Canary Islands.
They have more than adequate grounds for frustration. It was the land board’s sloppy review process that earned the state Supreme Court’s disfavor after 2013. Further, another lapse in procedure — neglecting the need for a hearing on the sublease for the site — underscores a serious lapse by one of the state’s most critical land-use authorities.
TMT board members have said they want “reasonably assured access” to a site by fall so construction could begin by next April. Given the remaining complications, meeting that deadline seems to be a long shot.
The land board must now turn its attention toward a thorough review of Amano’s conclusions, with complete public transparency and without a rush to judgment.
The University of Hawaii, which holds the lease on the science reserve, also should own some of the blame for the bad blood between the science community and Native Hawaiians. Opponents cite UH’s past failures to maintain strong environmental stewardship of the ecologically and culturally sensitive site.
But there has been a turnabout in more recent years, and some of the conditions that Amano recommended setting for the permit would show a good-faith effort to correct course. The conditions are largely the same as they were in 2013, but Ige said he still is reviewing them before giving them his stamp of approval.
There are 40 conditions, including a requirement for TMT to provide a “community benefits package” worth $1 million annually, beginning with the start of construction. There would also be a mandate for cultural and natural resources training for employees aimed at protecting the mountain, and a rule that jobs be filled locally “to the greatest extent possible.”
There would be plans for monitoring and mitigating archaeological impact, invasive species prevention, ride-sharing to minimize vehicle-generated dust and many other provisions.
Just as the science community owes respect and understanding to Native Hawaiians and their culture, the reverse is true as well. It’s unconscionable that the scientists have been demonized as they have been by the protesters. Many of them have shown little willingness to meet anyone halfway, or budge an inch.
The tragedy of the Mauna Kea debacle has been that TMT has been tarred with every grievance Native Hawaiians have held for injustices in other realms. If this worthy project is indeed shouted off the mountain, native interests — cultural advancement, education, job opportunities — will fall along with it.
Amano 2017 Recommendations by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd
