Moratorium on Mauna Kea Telescope Construction Extended
Hawaii’s governor says the Thirty Meter Telescope team tells him the work will be postponed until April 20.
The “timeout” on construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on top of Hawaii Island’s Mauna聽Kea has been extended.
Gov. David Ige’s office announced Saturday that the TMT team聽informed him it will postpone construction until Monday, April 20.
Ige called for聽补听尘辞谤补迟辞谤颈耻尘聽Tuesday to give time聽for community dialogue after protests on the聽mountain prevented workers from reaching the summit.
With Mauna Kea in the background, hula halau from around the state sing and dance Friday.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Native Hawaiian and environmental groups oppose the building of the $1.4 billion, 18-story-tall TMT that would be the biggest telescope on Mauna Kea and nine times more powerful.
鈥淚 thank TMT for its willingness to be respectful and sensitive to all of Hawaii 鈥 its special people, its sense of place and its unique host culture,鈥 Ige said in a statement.
In related news, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees issued a聽press release Saturday to聽say that it has been in discussions with “state decision makers.”
“In these talks, OHA leaders have emphasized the need for all parties to address the unresolved legal matters while the TMT construction moratorium remains聽in place,” the agency said in a statement.
Two days ago, dozens of protesters turned out at an OHA board meeting and asked trustees to lend them support. The quasi-state agency initially approved of the聽TMT project. also rallied at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on Friday.
“The Board plans to gain greater clarity on the pending legal cases relating to the TMT project,” the agency said Saturday.
Read Civil Beat’s latest reporting on the TMT protests,聽Telescope Protesters Prepare for Another Police Showdown.
