Gov. David Ige on Friday announced yet another postponement of the Thirty Meter Telescope construction but added that TMT Corp. officials have the legal right to build the $1.4 billion project and it is their call when to proceed.
In a statement, the governor said any further announcements about the construction schedule will come from the California nonprofit that plans to build one of the largest and most powerful telescopes in the world.
"My understanding is that TMT followed an almost seven-year planning and permitting process, which included public hearings and community input. Following this process, project permits were issued. The TMT team is legally entitled to use its discretion to proceed with construction," the statement said. Ige noted that while "not everyone will agree with this," he still recognizes and respects the right of telescope foes to appeal through the court system.
On April 7 Ige announced a one-week "timeout" in construction to "evaluate the situation from multiple perspectives." On April 11 he announced a second timeout, which was scheduled to end Monday.
The construction "timeout" was never called under Ige’s authority, according to Cindy McMillan, the governor’s communications director.
"They have been the ones making the call regarding the delay in construction and have simply asked (the) governor to make the announcements. From this point on, TMT will be both making the decision and the announcements," she said in an email.
According to the governor’s statement, "We have used this time to listen and learn about Mauna Kea from various stakeholders. I learned about other issues that need our attention to create and implement a better plan for the stewardship of Mauna Kea."
Initiatives might include decommissioning and removing older telescopes and facilities to restore the summit, reducing the level of activity on the summit and integrating culture and science, according to the statement.
Ige said his administration would be working with the University of Hawaii, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the community "to actively pursue these outcomes."
A TMT spokeswoman said Friday that the company had nothing further to add to the governor’s statement.
Meanwhile, a spokesman with the Sacred Mauna Kea Hui expressed disappointment.
"We appreciate the three points and that’s progress," Kamahana Kealoha said. "However, the governor seems to be relinquishing his ability to do the right thing to stop the TMT project."
Ige also appears to be washing his hands of the laws believed to be circumvented, as well as the possible abuse of the state’s Conservation District Use Application process, Kealoha said.
"Furthermore, we understand from this statement that we, as protectors, must put our bodies in between the entities set on desecrating the land and our sacred mauna," he said. "We hope that a better resolution can be found."
Thirty-one people were arrested on the mountain April 2 and charged with trespassing and blocking work vehicles from reaching the construction site.
Since then thousands have joined demonstrations across the state in support of the "protectors" holding vigil at the 9,200-foot level near the Mauna Kea Visitors Center.
On Thursday hundreds of protesters overwhelmed a standing-room-only UH Board of Regents meeting with angry testimony lashing out at not only the TMT project, but the university’s stewardship in allowing the construction of 13 telescopes on a sacred mountain.
Others have praised UH’s Office of Mauna Kea Management for dramatically improving its protection of the environment and of the cultural sites in recent years.
The 13,796-foot summit of Mauna Kea is considered by many the premier location to view the heavens, with its high altitude, atmospheric stability, minimal cloud cover, low humidity, minimal atmospheric pollutants and transparency of the atmosphere to infrared radiation.
The TMT telescope — planned to reach first light in 2024 — is being financed with money from California and Canadian universities, along with scientists from Japan, China and India.
When completed, the telescope would become the 14th observatory operating in the mountaintop Mauna Kea Science Reserve, which spreads out over 11,288 acres. The university, however, uses only 525 acres.
On Mauna Kea on Friday, the protesters vowed to continue their vigil as long as they have to.
"This is something we can actually win," said Kaho‘okahi Kanuha, one of the leaders. Thousands have visited the site along the side of Mauna Kea Access Road and offered their support and resources, helping to keep the movement going forward.
Lanakila Mangauil, another leader, said the group is only trying to "uphold the law" in preventing the work vehicles. He said the state has failed to uphold the requirements for construction in the Conservation Use District, while the whole "culturally unfair" environmental review process was plagued by corruption.
"This has really awakened everybody," he said.
Both Kanuha and Mangauil said the group is continuing the legacy of the Native Hawaiian activists who defied the Navy and occupied Kahoolawe in 1976.
