Editorial: State can shore up TMT support

The Thirty Meter Telescope proposed for Mauna Kea seems to have found a key piece of the financial fuel it needs to move ahead. The political will, which has been shaken by longstanding protests by project opponents, is what must solidify now.

On Thursday, the federal Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020, or Astro2020, ranked the controversial TMT project as one of the top U.S. government funding priorities. And that is good news for the telescope, currently estimated to cost $2.65 billion.

The federal survey report has concluded that the National Science Foundation should award at least $1.6 billion to what’s called the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program, which comprises both TMT and the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) that is planned for Chile.

The report also proposes that if either the TMT or the GMT turns out to be infeasible, then the money should go to the other project. According to the document, TMT faces a $310 million deficit, but the Chile project anticipated shortfall is even larger, at $600 million.

It calls on the foundation to assess the viability of the projects before finalizing the funding decision in 2023. And as part of that process, TMT must confirm its site, either at the Mauna Kea summit or its backup site on La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands.

In recent months the viability of La Palma took a blow when a Spanish court revoked an agreement to use public lands as a site for the observatory. The island is also still undergoing a significant volcanic eruption.

However recent developments in the Canary Islands play out, Hawaii can’t afford to assume this project is in the bag. Some clear and pointed messaging is required from Gov. David Ige, affirming that Hawaii is making the needed commitment to TMT.

It is encouraging that the TMT leadership is moving both to prepare its funding proposal and to improve its connections to Native Hawaiians. Opposition by some Native Hawaiians has been at the heart of the movement to block construction of the telescope on what some argue is a sacred site.

Engaging with the broader Hawaiian community — already well underway, with the TMT’s pledge to donate $1 million annually for educating Hawaii island students — is critical. However, existing efforts will need to be ramped up further.

That’s because the advisory Panel on State of the Profession and Societal Impacts, as part of the 614-page report, has voiced its concerns about weak connections between the field of astronomy and Native Hawaiians.

“Since astronomical first light on Maunakea 50 years ago, there have been a total of three Ph.D.s in astronomy or astrophysics awarded to Native Hawaiians,” according to the panel’s report. Among its other observations, the panel noted the “lack of an authentic partnership with Kanaka Maoli.”

“All investments to date are at risk if these issues are not resolved with a long-term plan in place,” the panel concluded.

So the bar has been set high. The governor will need to convey the educational benefits of TMT, past and future, enabling future generations to learn about the science, and potentially have a place in the astronomy profession.

For its part, TMT will need to demonstrate, now more than ever, how it can be built within the bounds of environmental and cultural stewardship.

But above all, Ige must show that the state has decided it cannot afford to lose the opportunity to host such a scientific asset for humanity. If the pandemic did nothing else, it uncovered the folly of relying too much on tourism and showed that Hawaii needs more for a sustainable future.

For scientific advancement and all that comes with it, Hawaii needs TMT.