Bill would create new authority to run Mauna Kea

Thirty Meter Telescope protesters have routinely criticized the University of Hawaii’s management of Mauna Kea. Hawaii island Mayor Harry Kim said he aims to reorganize the summit’s management as part of his Gov. David Ige-sanctioned effort to create a peace park. And the Office of Hawaiian Affairs filed suit in hopes of toppling the mountain’s management structure.

Now the state Legislature is getting into the act.

Senate Bill 3090, sponsored by state Sen. Kaiali‘i Kahele (D, Hilo) and 16 other lawmakers, would establish the Mauna Kea Management Authority as a way of installing “fresh leadership” and “a new model of governance.”

However, the bill found mixed support at its first public hearing Monday. While the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and several others expressed support, Kim, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, UH and some Mauna Kea astronomers were joined in opposition by Native Hawaiians wary of the effort.

“Although this bill puts a limit to the number of telescopes allowed on Mauna Kea, it may not affect the number of industrial developments allowed and provides a clear pathway for the TMT to be built,” said Healani Sonoda-Pale of the Kalahui Hawaii Political Action Committee.

Sonoda-Pale said she collected 634 testimonies arguing against the proposal, more than half of which are from Native Hawaiians.

Speakers from BLNR and UH said that while they are open to change, they believe that the current management structure is working well.

“Fundamentally, we believe this bill is based on a premise that is not correct,” said Greg Chun, senior adviser to UH President David Lassner on Mauna Kea. He pointed out that the latest state audit even praised the university for managing and protecting Mauna Kea.

Kim, meanwhile, said he’s putting together a committee that will take a fresh look at the management and reorganize it to fit a proposal to establish a major cultural center atop the mountain.

Under the bill, the number of telescopes would be limited to its current 13. It also authorizes the renegotiation of leases, subleases, easements, permits and licenses to generate revenue that would be shared with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

The bill calls for charging admission to the summit area, but it offers free access for traditional cultural purposes.

During the hearing, Kahele was critical of the university, saying it delayed writing administrative rules for years and committed many other missteps on the mountain.

“We are at a crisis right now. The University of Hawaii has created a crisis for the governor. It has created a crisis for the mayor of Hawaii. It’s created a crisis for this Legislature,” he said. “We shouldn’t even be here right now if the University of Hawaii did what they were supposed to do.”

Much of the bill’s criticism was aimed at who will get a seat on the nine-member authority board. As written, members would represent the director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; the East-West Center; the Native Hawaiian Bar Association; the Royal Order of Kamehameha; a statewide business organization; a Hawaii island business organization; an appointee of the Senate president; and an appointee of the House speaker.

UH professor Candace Fujikane was among several testifiers who said the board fails to include those with knowledge of culture and the environment in favor of those with business interests.

“We’re concerned about the protection” of the mountain, said Fujikane. “It’s so sacred to us. None of the people are qualified in any particular way to manage a conservation district.”

Jocelyn Doane, OHA’s public policy director, told lawmakers that the bill represents an opportunity to address long-standing flaws with university oversight.

“While the bill isn’t perfect, this is an opportunity to have a much-needed discussion about new control authority to more properly manage (the summit),” she said.

OHA filed suit against the university in November, accusing UH of mismanagement and of aggressively developing the Mauna Kea summit for astronomy at the expense of its environment and cultural significance.

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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified University of Hawaii professor Candace Fujikane as a Native Hawaiian.