HILO >> The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is calling on the state to raise the rent for observatories on Mauna Kea.

Bills introduced on behalf of OHA in the state House and Senate say the University of Hawaii, which holds a master lease for the Mauna Kea Science Reserve, has “failed to charge sufficient sublease rent” for the observatories.

The legislation would require the university to set its lease payments based on environmental damage, impact to Native Hawaiians and administration of its management plan, among other factors, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported.

Observatories on the mountain are charged $1 a year, and nonmonetary contributions, such as observing time for UH, are also acceptable.

The exception to the arrangement is the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope, which is paying $300,000 a year for its sublease. That amount is expected to increase to more than $1 million in the next decade if the telescope is built.

The telescopes on the mountain also cover the cost of the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station and maintenance of the summit access road.

UH officials have said that any new subleases will cover additional costs related to managing the mountain.

Nurse rescues snorkeler, 72, on Valley Isle

A nurse on vacation saved a 72-year-old man who got into trouble while snorkeling Monday in Kaanapali, Maui.

The unconscious man, from Minnesota, was pulled from the water off Black Rock Beach just after 2 p.m.

The female nurse then gave the man two short rounds of chest compressions, and the victim regained consciousness and began breathing again, a Maui fire official said. The man was able to talk to firefighters when they arrived.

The man had been snorkeling with his daughter at Black Rock when he began feeling uneasy, the official said. They were headed back to shore when the daughter noticed he stopped moving, with his face still in the water.

Crippled boat being salvaged

Salvage operations began Tuesday to remove a 39-foot powerboat, the Hoku Kea, which ran aground Friday evening off Kohanaiki Beach Park on Hawaii island, state officials said.

Fuel leaked onto the beach, and wreckage debris was found in the area. Hawaii County closed the park Saturday, but it was reopened after removal of the hazardous materials, a spokeswoman with the Department of Land and Natural Resources said Tuesday.

The Hoku Kea is owned by Hoku Boats LLC, according to DLNR. The owner’s pollution insurer hired a company to remove 400 gallons of diesel, a few quarts of oil and seven batteries Sunday morning.

DLNR cited the owner for operating a vessel without a valid boating safety certificate.