Thirty Meter Telescope - Controversy

Controversy

The Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources conditionally approved the Mauna Kea site for the TMT in February 2011. The approval has been challenged; however, the Board officially approved the site following a hearing on February 12, 2013, and the TMT Foundation anticipates that construction will begin in April 2014.

There is substantial opposition in Hawaii to the building of the telescope, based on potential disruption to the fragile glacial environment of Mauna Kea due to construction, traffic and noise, which is a concern for habitat disruption of several species, and to the fact that Mauna Kea is a sacred site for the Native Hawaiian culture. According to State of Hawaiʻi law HAR 13-5-30, eight key criteria must be met before construction can be allowed on conservation lands in Hawaiʻi. Among other criteria, the development may not “cause substantial adverse impact to existing natural resources within the surrounding area, community, or region,” and the "existing physical and environmental aspects of the land must be preserved or improved upon." The ability of the TMT to prove that it meets these criteria in a legal forum is in question, along with environmental laws and constitutional protections for native Hawaiian traditional practices. Other laws, procedural matters and departmental rules are being cited as well.

Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners cite impacts to indigenous cultural practice, while recreational users have argued that construction harms the scenic viewplane, and environmentalists are concerned that irreparable ecological damage may be done by construction. All three groups are represented amongst the petitioners opposing the TMT.