The Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority took no vote Thursday but heard hours of testimony sparked by Gov. Josh Green’s recent letter outlining a path for permitting the Thirty Meter Telescope on a previously developed site atop Maunakea.
The meeting came as the authority continues its management transition under Act 255 — the 2022 law that created the panel and set a five-year handover of Maunakea governance from the University of Hawaii. The transition is now 29 months into a 60-month process scheduled to conclude July 1, 2028.
Nearly 300 written testimonies were submitted ahead of the meeting, with dozens more speaking in person or online. Most opposed the project and Green’s Oct. 24 letter to the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory, in which he pledged to work with UH and the authority to establish a “clear and transparent” permitting process for a decommissioned site.
Following a Sept. 11 presentation to the board in Hilo, TMT project manager Fengchuan Liu informed members that the team behind the roughly $3 billion telescope is considering redeveloping a former observatory site. The potential redevelopment could include the location where the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory stood until it was decommissioned last year.
“This effort will involve careful planning and coordination to define the key steps and requirements of the permitting process,” Green wrote, emphasizing “clarity, accountability, and compliance with statutory obligations.”
Testifiers repeatedly cited cultural concerns and past management issues.
“Maunakea is not just a mountain. It is the most sacred summit in Hawaii and for generations, it has held immense cultural, spiritual, and ecological importance,” wrote Kekua Kobashigawa of Makakilo. “Allowing further industrial expansion, even under the guise of ‘relocation,’ continues a long legacy of disrespect toward Kanaka Maoli stewardship and the aina itself.”
Others focused on the record of earlier telescope development.
“The existing 13 telescopes on the summit were built under decades of mismanagement by the University of Hawaii and the Department of Land and Natural Resources, with minimal accountability and poor consultation with Native Hawaiians,” wrote Victoria Kaeo of Ka‘u. “The lack of accountability is extremely concerning and there should not be any new construction until these past desecrations are made pono.”
Another testifier urged officials to prioritize environmental restoration over profit in written testimony submitted to state regulators. “The promise of economic gain cannot justify desecration. We must stop further harm and instead focus on cleaning up the existing structures and restoring the mauna to its natural and sacred state,” Mika Mulkey of Moutain View wrote.
The only individual who testified in person Thursday in support of the TMT project was a woman who identified as Native Hawaiian, arguing that the project provides opportunity.
“If I truly believed this project desecrated our sacred land the way Walmart, resorts and big mainland developments already have, I would be standing right besides you in protest,” she said. “But this is not that. This is about knowledge, education, opportunity and the survival of our people right here in our homeland.”
TMT officials say they remain committed to Maunakea if permitted, but also are evaluating an offer from Spain’s Canary Islands, which includes a proposed site and an investment of 400 million euros (about $470 million).
The planned observatory would feature a 30- meter primary mirror, making it one of the world’s largest optical telescopes.
Source: The Garden Island