The intensifying outcry from protesters at the Mauna Kea site of the Thirty Meter Telescope could have been anticipated long before it flamed up in recent weeks, as heavy construction equipment started to arrive. The core group of opponents has never budged from its position, and now that some of the regulatory requirements for this promising installation have been met, they have dug in.
What was unexpected and unfortunate is the way a contingent of celebrities has taken to social media to fan the flames. The demonstrations on Hawaii island, in the days before the annual Merrie Monarch hula competition, became even more contentious.
Just as unfortunately, but perhaps more predictably, the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs has started wavering on its own stance in favor of the TMT siting.
Last year OHA contemplated pursuing a contested case hearing before the Board of Land and Natural Resources, which had granted a sublease for the $1.4 billion project.
The intent, OHA officials said at the time, was to preserve the right to challenge the sublease if it later chose to do so. The OHA Board of Trustees decided finally against seeking a contested case hearing.
But now the trustees have told opponents they would review their position. This won’t decide the fate of the project, which faces lingering legal hurdles.
What it does do is demonstrate a lack of leadership from OHA.
The agency should be reasserting its earlier justifications in support of the telescope as having educational and economic benefits for Hawaii island and the state as a whole.
Instead, the board seems now to be siding with opponents, instead of with a state-of-the-art boon to astronomical research.
The debate over the cultural and spiritual aspects of Mauna Kea and its deep importance to Native Hawaiians, has produced a more enlightened approach toward the scientific developments at the state-controlled summit property.
There was far less awareness of the environmental and cultural concerns decades earlier, when the first telescopes were being built.
That process has yielded a comprehensive management plan, outlining protections for environmental and cultural resources, as well as a plan for decommissioning telescopes that become obsolete.
The master lease agreement, which expires at the end of 2033, dictates that structures must be removed by the expiration date. Other details, including the levels of site restoration to be required, are spelled out in the document.
The state must adhere to these commitments, to keep the footprint of mountaintop development from ballooning out of control. Mauna Kea can’t become a repository for abandoned structures.
However, the TMT represents the leading edge of technology, and the concern for resource management can’t obscure that potential.
Finding the proper accommodation for cultural values should be possible without relinquishing Hawaii’s place in the realm of scientific discovery.
The ancient Hawaiians were scientists themselves, studying the stars and natural phenomena to the benefit of their people.
Gov. David Ige made the right decision in recent days by calling for a cooling-off period in the conflict, but further steps toward reconciliation will be necessary.
Leadership is what’s required — from OHA, from the governor and others — settling on the path that ultimately will benefit Hawaii the most.
