Now that Amano has issued her proposed decision and order, the state land board will set a deadline for telescope opponents and permit applicants to file arguments against her recommendations. The board will later hold a hearing and then make the final decision on the project’s conservation district use permit.
Gov. David Ige said his office was reviewing the conditions Amano put on her recommendation, including that employees attend mandatory cultural and natural resources training and that employment opportunities be filled locally “to the greatest extent possible.”
“Regardless of the (land board’s) ultimate decision, I support the co-existence of astronomy and culture on Mauna Kea along with better management of the mountain,” Ige said in a statement.
This second round of contested-case hearings was necessary after the state Supreme Court invalidated an earlier permit issued by the board.
The telescope’s board of directors held public meetings before selecting Mauna Kea as the preferred site in 2009. In 2011, opponents requested so-called contested-case hearings before the state land board approved a permit to build on conservation land. The hearings were held, and the permit was upheld. Opponents then sued. In December 2015, the state Supreme Court revoked the permit, ruling the land board’s approval process was flawed. That meant the application process needed to be redone, requiring a new hearing.
Telescope officials didn’t immediately comment on Amano’s recommendation. They have said they plan to build it in the Canary Islands if they can’t build in Hawaii.
Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the leaders fighting against the telescope, said she’s disappointed but not surprised. “They’re far from done,” she said. “They still have to go before the board. We still have the right of appeal — before anyone can even begin to contemplate any action or earth-moving on Mauna Kea.
Read the judge’s order below.
