Mauna Kea stewardship bill runs into opposition at Senate hearing

A bill that would establish a new authority to oversee the stewardship of Mauna Kea’s summit ran into a volley of opposition Tuesday in a hearing before a state Senate committee.

A number of speakers told the Higher Education Committee that they fear the legislation would lead to the eventual destruction of astronomy on Mauna Kea.

“The loss of these world-class facilities would be a deep loss for the state and for all astronomy in the USA and worldwide,” said Richard Griffiths, affiliate professor of physics and astronomy at University of Hawaii Hilo.

In addition to those who testified against the bill, 133 people submitted written testimony in opposition versus only 20 in support.

The committee delayed decision-making until noon today.

House Bill 2024 would replace UH and form a new, independent entity to oversee the Mauna Kea observatories and the surrounding land following a three-year transition period.

The new governing board, with Native Hawaiian representation, would be tasked with developing a plan for managing land uses, human activities, access, stewardship and overall operations on the mountain, among other things.

But several testified Tuesday that the timeline is too short to stand up a new authority and secure new observatory subleases before triggering a decommissioning process prior to the expiration of the current master lease in 2033.

“Because of this we fear that Hawaii’s astronomy industry will be lost if HB 2024 turns into law,” said Wendy Laros, president and CEO of the Kona- Kohala Chamber of Commerce.

Greg Chun of the UH Hilo Center for Maunakea Stewardship told lawmakers that, if passed, the bill would threaten one of the state’s most successful global achievements.

Chun said the measure is based on an outdated narrative: that the land is being mismanaged. But, he said, the university has invested millions and made “innumerable improvements” in recent years.

“Our efforts have been recognized by many as having positioned these lands as some of the best-managed lands in the state,” he said.

Kamana Beamer, a UH Hawaiian studies professor representing Aloha ‘Aina Economic Futures, vehemently disagreed.

“Respectfully, anyone who says the current management regime isn’t broken isn’t being truthful given the tens of thousands of people who had to risk their careers and lives and sacrifice families (to protest) because of the utter mismanagement of the summit,” he said.

W.M. Keck Observatory Director Hilton Lewis said that while the measure has opened “a positive way forward” for the future of the mountain, the observatories first and foremost want to continue their work beyond 2033.

He suggested developing a process and timeline for the authority to grant observatory leases that do not trigger decommissioning requirements under the current observatory subleases.