TMT rendering on Maunakea
As you probably know, TMT last week received some welcome news related to the restart of construction. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) issued a notice to proceed (NTP) to the University of Hawaii for the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea. The NTP is a formal communication indicating that all pre-construction conditions and mitigation measures specifically required as a condition of the Conservation District Use Permit (CDUP) have been met.
With the NTP, TMT can proceed with construction.
Henry Yang, Chair, TMT International Observatory Board of Governors, issued the following statement in response to the news:
“TMT is pleased and grateful that the notice to proceed has been issued by the Department of Land and Natural Resources to the University of Hawaii. We remain committed to being good stewards of Maunakea, and to honoring and respecting the culture and traditions of Hawaii. It has been a long process to get to this point. We are deeply grateful to our many friends and community supporters for their advice and for their encouragement and support of the TMT project over the years.”
TMT is working with the University and relevant state and county agencies to determine an appropriate start date for construction.
Hawaii is a special place that has long honored astronomy and navigation. And, like the strong majority in the community, we at the TMT project believe that science and culture can coexist on Maunakea. We have learned a lot over the last 10 years in Hawaii to become better stewards of the mountain.
This past April marked the fourth anniversary of TMT’s first attempt to start construction on Maunakea in Hawaii. The past four years have seen protests that have halted the start of construction twice. There have also been regulatory and legal hurdles.
The project has been through two contested case processes, with months of hearings, dozens of witnesses, and thousands of pages of testimony and backup documentation.
In July 2017, after 44 days of hearings in the second contested case, hearings officer, former judge, Riki May Amano recommended that the CDUP be re-issued to allow construction of the project on Maunakea, and the Hawaii State Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) approved the permit in September 2017.
Opponents challenged the new permit before the Hawaii State Supreme Court. On October 30, 2018, the Hawaii Supreme Court issued its opinion affirming BLNR’s decision to issue a CDUP for construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea.
With no more legal hurdles, TMT is now ready to move forward in Hawaii. We want to be sure that our approach meets all of the requirements of the permits, the Environmental Impact Statement, and that it honors, respects, and includes the culture and traditions of Hawaii.
We are very grateful at how far we’ve come and thank all those who have been patient and faithful supporters during this long journey. You have encouraged and sustained us along the way. Now is a time to welcome and encourage others to join the conversation, and help us to be part of the future of culture and science in Hawaii.
