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Opinion Essay
ReNae Evans
Professor Jonathan Barnes
PHYS-1040-401-Su19
July 4, 2019
TMT & Mauna Kea
I have chosen to write about the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) that hopefully will be

built in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The project has been in process since 2009. It has been a grueling

process of planning and obtaining all of the necessary permits. The TMT International

Observatory LLC is a non-profit organization and includes members from the United States,

Canada, Japan, China and India. They hope to work things out with the people of Hawaii so that

they can build the telescope there in the “Atronomy Precinct” on the big island of Hawaii. The

protectors of Mauna Kea, led by the group Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, aren’t so sure that leasing

out their sacred mountain, in the name of science, will return to them unharmed. I wanted to

learn more about their dispute, because I think building the telescope would be a really great way

for us to learn more about our universe.

TMT

The Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory (TIO) chose Mauna Kea, Hawaii

as the preferred site to build and operate TMT. Their website explained why they made that

decision. They said that during their campaign to test various sites, some of the best conditions

that were ever encountered, out of all the test sites, were at Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea is located

above approximately 40 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere and has a stable, dry and cold climate.

They say that these characteristics are all very important for capturing the sharpest images and

producing the best science. Also, the website explains that the atmosphere over Mauna Kea
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offers remarkable conditions for astronomical measurements with adaptive optics which will be

equipped on TMT. They tout that this means that TMT could revolutionize our understanding of

the universe. (1)

According to their website, it has been important to TMT to engage and interact with the

community. Over a span of 10 years, the project has held over 20 public meetings, participated in

one-on-one meetings and group presentations. They also have kept an open dialogue discussing

with community members and stakeholders the issues as well as the cultural and natural

significance of Mauna Kea. TMT has worked with island leaders and created a fund that would

support the island’s youth in education that could lead to high tech jobs. TMT contributes $1

million annually and the THINK Fund distributes it in grants and scholarships. The Hawaii

Island New Knowledge (THINK) began in 2014 and is making a difference in areas of science,

technology, engineering and math. TMT will also pay $1 million per year lease for the land,

which is a first for any telescope located on the mountain. (1)

Protectors of Mauna Kea

Located at the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii is a 525 acre special

land use zone known as the “Astronomy Precinct”, it is located within the 11,228 acre Mauna

Kea Science Reserve. The “Astronomy Precinct” was established in 1967 and is located on land

protected by the Historical Preservation Act because it has significance to Hawaiian culture. This

reserve is leased by the State of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources and the

University of Hawaii manages the site. The lease expires in 2033 and then the reserve will revert

back to the State of Hawaii. (2)

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Mauna Kea Hui litigants and supporters for the protection of Mauna Kea feel it is their

responsibility to protect their honored, holy mountain. They claim, on their website, that rare

Hawaiian plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet are at home on Mauna Kea. Their

complaints are that the TMT structure will interrupt the view plane to Haleakala and it will be

visible from 14% of the island including Waimea Park, Pu’u Kapu & Wa’awa’a, Honoka’a, and

Pu’ukohala. Current telescopes are visible from 43% of the island. According to their website,

the TMT operations will create 74 dbA of noise and will produce 120-250 cubic feet of solid

waste per week. There will also be a 5,000 gallon underground tank to store hazardous

chemicals. The construction footprint will be over 8 acres. The building will be 184 ft. tall (18

stories) plus 20 ft. below ground. The road to the telescope is also going to require additional

construction on Pu’u Kukahau’ula. (3)

As I understand from their website, the protectors of Mauna Kea are worried that the

impact and effects of the decisions their government and the university are making on behalf of

their conservation lands will be irreversible at the end of their lease. According to their website,

the Hawaiian administrative rules for the land require that:

1. The land use will not cause substantial adverse impact to existing natural resources.

2. The proposed land use, including buildings, structures and facilities shall be compatible with
the locality and surrounding areas, appropriate to the physical conditions and capabilities of
the specific parcel.
3. That the physical and environmental aspects of the land, such as natural beauty and open
space characteristics, will be preserved or improved upon.

These protectors feel strongly that TMT are not meeting these requirements and that in 14 years,

when the lease ends, the land may never recover and probably won’t ever be the same again. (3)
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Opinion

At first, I thought the protests and the hype were all about the mighty dollar. It doesn’t

say much for our society but a lot of motivation and incentive for action revolves around the

dollar. Now that I have looked deeper into both sides of the story I feel totally different about

what is happening. TMT has been beautifully designed and in the picture on their website, I think

it fits in well with the colors and rocky terrain of the old volcano. I feel excited about the

potential transforming knowledge that is the TMT. It truly is an incredible piece of technology

that I think any state and community would be proud to sponsor. I just have to side with the

protectors because of the huge footprint this incredible piece of equipment will leave on leased,

sacred, holy land. The State of Hawaii has been entrusted with land that they are responsible for

conserving. This TMT project will definitely not conserve the land.

I also have to say that I really hope that TMT and the Protectors of Mauna Kea can work

out a compromise. My heart isn’t invested and I have no strong sense of protection for their old

volcano. I do understand what it feels like to hold something sacred, something that holds a lot of

history, sentimental and spiritual meaning that I would not want desecrated in any way. I fear that

for the Hawaiian Department of Land and Natural Resources and for the University of Hawaii

this issue is all about the mighty dollar. To be fair, I will add to the mighty dollar all of that

potential transforming knowledge I wrote about earlier, because that is huge. I fear for the

Protectors that if the project moves forward, their sacred, holy, mountain will never be the same

again.
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Works Cited
1. TMT International Observatory LLC. The Process. MaunakeaandTmt.org.
www.maunakeaandtmt.org/tmt-process/#legal-process . Retrieved on 4 July 2019.

2. Wikipedia contributors. Mauna Kea Observatories. Wikipedia.org. Wikipedia, The Free

Encyclopedia. 6 June 2019. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea_Observatories. Retrieved on 4
July 2019.
3. Kahea the Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance. 8 Acres? 18 Stories? TMT? A’ole. Kahea.org.
kahea.org/blog/8-acre-18-story-development-in-mauna-kea-conservation-district-seeks-permit.
(2019). Retrieved on 4 July 2019.