Not enough time ADVERTISING Not enough time The Thirty Meter Telescope contested case pre-hearings are at an end, and the hearing is scheduled to proceed beginning today. I am concerned about this case and the petitioners who stepped forward to
Not enough time
The Thirty Meter Telescope contested case pre-hearings are at an end, and the hearing is scheduled to proceed beginning today.
I am concerned about this case and the petitioners who stepped forward to be a part of it. Of particular interest is the concern that many petitioners have requested more time to review the case material submitted only two days prior to each hearing date.
And there are 11 hearing dates scheduled. I attended all the pre-hearings, and from what I heard, one submission was several hundred pages, and there also are witness-related documents to review for cross-examination purposes. College students are not burdened with such preparation constraints; why are common working people forced to? They all have families and some are traveling from distances, including from off-island, and having to deal with time limits to respond. The University of Hawaii at Hilo, TMT International Observatory and the attorney general’s office have professionals that do this all day AND get paid by our tax dollars.
Another concern that raises a flag for me is that there was mention by many petitioners who stated Judge Riki May Amano had not responded to motions they submitted since July. Are not all pre-hearing documents to be resolved BEFORE the hearing is scheduled?
Although this is my first experience attending a case hearing, many questions arise regarding transparency and the hearings officer’s seemingly predisposed position in relation to the opposition, when she adopts their proposed hearing schedule in its entirety.
I ask, does the “Sunshine Law” apply to state agency-run hearings?
Charmaine Bugado
Hilo
Aloha lives
In a world that seems increasingly mean and suspicious, some suggest even the Aloha State is fading from a welcoming and caring attitude toward each other.
I had a different experience last week when I was having car trouble between Pahoa and Kalapana. A local rancher/machine operator quickly offered his help, tried to fix the problem and offered to follow the tow truck to Pahoa to give me a ride home.
As always, it took longer than projected, but that rancher and his friend spent more than three hours waiting to give me a ride home.
The next day, I was trying to catch the bus to pick up my repaired car, but I did not have the correct change. As I was getting off the bus, a woman paid the fare. Aloha lives!
Robert Hammaker
Pahoa
