Gov. David Ige laid out a vision today for Mauna Kea that he hopes will create a better balance between science and culture as opposing sides remained deadlocked over plans for a giant telescope on the mountain. ADVERTISING Gov. David
Gov. David Ige laid out a vision today for Mauna Kea that he hopes will create a better balance between science and culture as opposing sides remained deadlocked over plans for a giant telescope on the mountain.
At a press conference in Honolulu, Ige announced he will create a Mauna Kea cultural council to advise the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and other entities. He also made numerous requests to the University of Hawaii, which is seeking an extension of its master lease for the summit, to improve management of the mountain.
Those requests include returning 10,000 acres of Mauna Kea not needed for astronomy back to DLNR; a commitment to remove 25 percent of the mountain’s 13 telescopes by the time the Thirty Meter Telescope is complete; start to decommission one telescope this year; restart the environmental impact statement process for the lease extension request; and revisit sublease contracts that allow existing telescopes to pay $1 a year in rent.
Additionally, he asked the TMT Observatory Corp. to increase its support for Native Hawaiian education and for access to the summit to be better regulated.
“Mauna Kea is a special place and we need to treat it as a special place,” said Ige, who noted the “proper balance has been lost.”
He also said TMT has the right to proceed with construction, which has been on hold after the arrests of 31 protesters on the mountain April 2, and that he will recognize the right of peaceful protests.
Protesters have opposed further development on land that is sacred to many Hawaiians.
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