Hawaii Supreme Court Affirms TMT Permit

The Hawaii Supreme Court, by majority decision, today issued its opinion affirming the Board of Land and Natural Resources' decision to issue a Conservation District Use Permit (CDUP) for construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Maunakea.

Henry Yang, Chair, TMT International Observatory Board of Governors, issued the following statement in response to the news:



"On behalf of the TMT International Observatory, we are grateful for the Hawaii State Supreme Court's ruling that will allow TMT to be built on Maunakea. We thank all of the community members who contributed their thoughtful views during this entire process. We remain committed to being good stewards on the mountain and inclusive of the Hawaiian community. We honor the culture of the islands and its people and do our part to contribute to its future through our ongoing support of education and Hawaii Islands’ young people. We are excited to move forward in Hawaii and will continue to respect and follow state and county regulations, as we determine our next steps. We are deeply grateful to our many friends and supporters for their tremendous support over the years.”

Work on the telescope on Maunakea was halted in 2015 when the Hawaii Supreme Court invalidated the Conservation District Use Permit on procedural grounds. That permit had been issued by the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) to the University of Hawaii Hilo to build TMT on Maunakea. The Supreme Court returned the case to the Hawaii Circuit Court and instructed that a new contested case hearing be conducted. The contested case got underway in October 2016.

Following 44 days of testimony by 71 witnesses over five months, the hearing concluded in early March 2017, and hearings officer Riki May Amano in July 2017 recommended that a state Conservation District Use Permit be re-issued to allow construction of the project on Maunakea. On Thursday, September 28, the State Land Board announced its decision to approve the Conservation District Use Permit to build TMT on Maunakea. Opponents challenged the new permit before the Hawaii State Supreme Court. Today’s ruling affirms BLNR’s decision to issue the CDUP.

In the majority opinion the Court noted: “In this opinion, we address whether the BLNR properly applied the law in analyzing whether a permit should be issued for the TMT. Upon careful consideration of the written submissions, the applicable law, and the oral arguments, and for the reasons explained below, we now affirm the BLNR’s decision authorizing issuance of a Conservation District Use Permit (“CDUP”) for the Thirty Meter Telescope (“TMT”).”

As for next steps, TMT will move forward with fulfilling the numerous conditions and requirements of the state CDUP prior to the start of any construction.</s>After years of hearings and litigation, the Supreme Court of Hawaii on Tuesday approved a building permit for a giant telescope on the ancient, contested site of the volcano Mauna Kea.

The Thirty Meter Telescope, as it is known, would be the largest ever contemplated in the Northern Hemisphere. Hawaiian activists have opposed it, saying that decades of telescope-building on Mauna Kea have polluted the mountain. Some of them went so far as to block construction vehicles from the mountain to prevent work on the telescope.</s>HONOLULU — After years of delay, including lengthy court battles and passionate protests from those willing to be arrested for blocking construction crews, builders of a giant telescope plan to move forward with constructing the $1.4 billion instrument on a Hawaii mountain that is considered sacred.

The state Supreme Court's 4-1 ruling upholding the project's construction permit Tuesday is a victory for the contentious Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Hawaii's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea. Opponents say the telescope will desecrate sacred land on the Big Island. Supporters say it will bring educational and economic opportunities to the state.

"Astronomy and Native Hawaiian uses on Mauna Kea have co-existed for many years and the TMT Project will not curtail or restrict Native Hawaiian uses," the ruling said. The advanced telescope will answer some of the most fundamental questions of the universe, and Native Hawaiians will also benefit from it, the ruling added.

Further legal action is still possible, state Attorney General Russell Suzuki said. There can be a motion for reconsideration filed within 10 days and following that, a request can be made to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision, he said.

Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the main leaders against the telescope, said she's doesn't know what their next steps will be but she's not hopeful that more legal wrangling will help. She encouraged other telescope foes not to be disheartened.

"The court is the last bastion in democracy," she said. "The only other option is to take to the streets. If we lose the integrity of the court, then you're losing normal law and order, and the only other option is people have to rise up."

When asked if that meant protests will resume, she said: "I'm encouraging people to stay close to their heart and aloha."

Opponents and supporters have been awaiting the ruling because it was expected to help determine whether the project is built in Hawaii or moves to a backup location in Spain's Canary Islands that is less desirable to scientists hoping to use the instrument for groundbreaking discoveries.

Henry Yang, chair of the TMT International Observatory Board of Governors, said in a statement they are grateful the ruling will allow the telescope to be built on Mauna Kea.

When construction will resume depends on working out timing issues including conditions of the permit and re-mobilizing construction crews and equipment, said Scott Ishikawa, a spokesman for the project.

"We hope to have the state's and county's assurance in providing safe passage for our workers," he said.

Gov. David Ige, who said he is pleased with the ruling, vowed to protect rights of protesters and telescope builders. "The court's decision will allow Hawaii to continue to lead the world in astronomy," Ige said.

State Department of Land and Natural Resources Chairwoman Suzanne Case said the next steps involve telescope builders submitting construction plans. The department will review the plans before issuing permission to proceed.

Plans for the project date to 2009, when scientists selected Mauna Kea after a five-year, around-the-world campaign to find the ideal site for what telescope officials said "will likely revolutionize our understanding of the universe."

The project won a series of approvals from Hawaii, including a permit to build on conservation land in 2011.

Protests disrupted a groundbreaking and Hawaiian blessing ceremony at the site in 2014. After that, the protests intensified and divided the community, with some Native Hawaiians saying they were afraid to publicly support the project.

Construction stopped in April 2015 after 31 protesters were arrested for blocking the work. A second attempt to restart construction a few months later ended with more arrests and crews retreating when they encountered large boulders in the road.

Scientists revere the mountain for its summit above the clouds that provides a clear view of the sky with very little air and light pollution.

The telescope will allow astronomers to reach back 13 billion years to answer fundamental questions about the advent of the universe, touts a website for the project. "In the nearby universe, with TMT, astronomers will be able to discover and characterize, in detail, planets orbiting stars other than the Sun. There is the potential to examine these planets for signs of life beyond the Earth: this would be one of the most important discoveries of all time," the website says.

Opponents appealed and 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.

After oftentimes emotional testimony for the hearing that spanned 44 days, the retired judge presiding over the proceeding recommended granting the permit. The judge set conditions that employees attend mandatory cultural and natural resources training and that employment opportunities be filled locally "to the greatest extent possible."

Opponents appealed again after the land board approved the permit. They complained about various due process issues, including that the hearings officer had a conflict of interest because she was a member of a Big Island astronomy center.

The connection was "too attenuated," and membership doesn't lead to supporting the telescope project, Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling said.

A group of universities in California and Canada make up the telescope company, with partners from China, India and Japan. The instrument's primary mirror would measure 98 feet (30 meters) in diameter. Compared with the largest existing visible-light telescope in the world, it would be three times as wide, with nine times more area.

Telescope parts have been built in California and partner countries while construction on Mauna Kea was halted.</s>After years of delay, including lengthy court battles and passionate protests from those willing to be arrested for blocking construction crews, builders of a giant telescope plan to move forward with constructing the $1.4 billion instrument on a Hawaii mountain that is considered sacred.

The state Supreme Court's 4–1 ruling upholding the project's construction permit Tuesday is a victory for the contentious Thirty Meter Telescope — a collaboration between Canada, the U.S., Japan, China and India — planned for Hawaii's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea. Opponents say the telescope will desecrate sacred land on the Big Island. Supporters say it will bring educational and economic opportunities to the state.

Astronomy and Native Hawaiian "uses on Mauna Kea have co-existed for many years and the TMT Project will not curtail or restrict Native Hawaiian uses," the ruling said. The advanced telescope will answer some of the most fundamental questions of the universe, and Native Hawaiians will also benefit from it, the ruling added.

Further legal action is still possible, state Attorney General Russell Suzuki said. There can be a motion for reconsideration filed within 10 days and following that, a request can be made to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision, he said.

Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the main leaders against the telescope, said she's doesn't know what their next steps will be, but she's not hopeful that more legal wrangling will help.

Learn about Canada's involvement in the Thirty Meter Telescope.

"The court is the last bastion in democracy," she said. "The only other option is to take to the streets. If we lose the integrity of the court, then you're losing normal law and order, and the only other option is people have to rise up."

Opponents and supporters have been awaiting the ruling because it was expected to help determine whether the project is built in Hawaii or moves to a backup location in Spain's Canary Islands that is less desirable to scientists hoping to use the instrument for groundbreaking discoveries.

Henry Yang, chair of the TMT International Observatory Board of Governors, said in a statement they are grateful the ruling will allow the telescope to be built on Mauna Kea.

Gov. David Ige, who said he is pleased with the ruling, vowed to protect rights of protesters and telescope builders. "The court's decision will allow Hawaii to continue to lead the world in astronomy," Ige said.

State Department of Land and Natural Resources Chairwoman Suzanne Case said the next steps involve telescope builders submitting construction plans. The department will review the plans before issuing permission to proceed.

Plans for the project date to 2009, when scientists selected Mauna Kea after a five-year, around-the-world campaign to find the ideal site.

The project won a series of approvals from Hawaii, including a permit to build on conservation land in 2011.

Protests disrupted a groundbreaking and Hawaiian blessing ceremony at the site in 2014. After that, the protests intensified.

Construction stopped in April 2015 after 31 protesters were arrested for blocking the work. A second attempt to restart construction a few months later ended with more arrests and crews retreating when they encountered large boulders in the road.

Scientists revere the mountain for its summit above the clouds that provides a clear view of the sky with very little air and light pollution.

The telescope will allow astronomers to reach back 13 billion years to answer fundamental questions about the advent of the universe, touts a website for the project.

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.

After oftentimes emotional testimony for the hearing that spanned 44 days, the retired judge presiding over the proceeding recommended granting the permit.

Opponents appealed again after the land board approved the permit. They complained about various due process issues, including that the hearings officer had a conflict of interest because she was a member of a Big Island astronomy centre.

The connection was "too attenuated," and membership doesn't lead to supporting the telescope, Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling said.

A group of universities in California and Canada make up the telescope company, with partners from China, India and Japan. The instrument's primary mirror would measure 30 metres in diameter. Compared with the largest existing visible-light telescope in the world, it would be three times as wide, with nine times more area.

Telescope parts have been built in California and partner countries while construction on Mauna Kea was halted.

Reactions to the ruling from two Native Hawaiians showed how the issue has divided the community.

Telescope opponent Kahookahi Kanuha, who was arrested twice for blocking construction, said Hawaiians need to be ready to resist construction with non-violent protests. He had a message for them: "Hoomakaukau," get ready.

Richard Ha, a Native Hawaiian farmer who supports the telescope, said the long process that led to the ruling was "pono," or righteous. He said he wants to sit down with opponents, "talk story" and find common ground.</s>The Hawaii Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 4-1 to approve construction of a giant telescope that was halted in 2015 after Native Hawaiians protested building on the Big Island's summit, which is considered to be a sacred location and their birthplace.



The ruling is the latest development in a long-running controversy that has pitted the scientific community against Native Hawaiian groups.

Hawaii Attorney General Russell Suzuki said at a news conference Tuesday that it is possible to ask the court for a motion to reconsider in the next 10 days, after which the case could be appealed to the US Supreme Court.

The Thirty Meter Telescope is being constructed at the highest point in Hawaii at the top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island, where there are more than a dozen smaller telescopes built starting in the 1960s already in operation.



The summit of the Big Island is considered by astronomers to be one of the best locations in the world for a stargazing due to the height of Mauna Kea — it is the tallest point in the Pacific — and the geographical isolation of Hawaii, which minimizes light pollution. The $1.4-billion telescope will be 18-stories tall — the world's largest telescope — and visible from most parts of the Big Island. It will also be the most powerful in the world, capable of looking back 13 billion light years.

In October 2014, construction started on Mauna Kea, but it was met with protests by Native Hawaiians and environmentalists. Ancient Hawaiians considered all of the summits of Hawaii sacred, and Mauna Kea is part of their origin story, where they believe earth mother Papahānaumoku and sky father Wākea created the Hawaiian islands. Environmentalists have also said the summit is home to a fragile and unique ecosystem, and the only place where the already threatened wēkiu bug lives.

The protest movement was furthered by social media, with Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa posting frequently against the telescope and others celebrities like Zoë Kravitz and Nicole Scherzinger joining in with "We Are Mauna Kea" images.</s>The Latest: Nonprofit excited to build telescope in Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — The Latest on Hawaii Supreme Court's decision upholding a construction permit for a giant telescope (all times local):

The nonprofit company that wants to build a giant telescope on a Hawaii mountain says it is excited to proceed now that the state Supreme Court has upheld the project's construction permit.

TMT International Observatory Board of Governors Chairman Henry Yang says in a statement they are grateful Tuesday's ruling will allow the Thirty Meter Telescope to be built on Mauna Kea.

Thirty Meter Telescope spokesman Scott Ishikawa says they need to work out details about when construction can resume. Ishikawa says they hope state and county officials can assure safe passage for workers.

Protesters blocked the road to the mountain during previous construction attempts.

The court invalidated the project's first permit in 2015, ruling that the approval process was flawed and ordering the parties to go through the steps again.

One of the main Native Hawaiian leaders in the fight against a giant telescope says she's bewildered by a state Supreme Court ruling upholding the project's construction permit.

Kealoha Pisciotta is among those who consider the mountain where the telescope is planned to be built to be sacred.

Pisciotta says she hasn't fully read Tuesday's decision. She says she's shocked.

The ruling says astronomy and Native Hawaiian uses on Mauna Kea have co-existed for many years. The ruling says the Thirty Meter Telescope will not curtail or restrict Native Hawaiian uses.

Kealoha says the people of Hawaii shouldn't be disheartened by the ruling because it doesn't change that Mauna Kea on the Big Island is a sacred place.

The project has become one of Hawaii's most divisive issues.

The Hawaii Supreme Court has ruled that the state land board was correct in approving a construction permit to build a giant telescope on a mountain Hawaiians consider sacred.

The ruling issued Tuesday is a victory for the Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Mauna Kea on the Big Island.

Telescope opponents appealed after a hearings officer recommended granting the permit and the land board approved it. Opponents complained about various due process issues, including that the hearings officer had a conflict of interest because she was a member of a Big Island astronomy center.

The project has been one of Hawaii's most divisive issues.

The court invalidated the project's first permit in 2015, ruling that the approval process was flawed and ordering the parties to go through the steps again.</s>HONOLULU (AP) — The Latest on Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision upholding a construction permit for a giant telescope (all times local): 1:30 p.m. Hawaii’s attorney general says there are further legal actions possible in the…

HONOLULU (AP) — The Latest on Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision upholding a construction permit for a giant telescope (all times local):

Hawaii’s attorney general says there are further legal actions possible in the long saga over whether a giant telescope can be built atop the state’s tallest mountain.

Attorney General Russell Suzuki says there can be a motion for reconsideration filed 10 days after Tuesday’s state Supreme Court ruling that upholds the Thirty Meter Telescope’s construction permit.

Suzuki says those who challenge the ruling could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review it.

Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the main telescope opponents, says she’s not sure what their next steps will be. She says she doesn’t hold out much hope for the legal system.

Gov. David Ige says he’s pleased the decision will allow Hawaii to lead the world in astronomy.

State Department of Land and Natural Resources Chairwoman Suzanne Case says the next steps involving telescope builders submitting construction plans. The department will review plans before issuing permission to proceed.

The nonprofit company that wants to build a giant telescope on a Hawaii mountain says it is excited to proceed now that the state Supreme Court has upheld the project’s construction permit.

TMT International Observatory Board of Governors Chairman Henry Yang says in a statement they are grateful Tuesday’s ruling will allow the Thirty Meter Telescope to be built on Mauna Kea.

Thirty Meter Telescope spokesman Scott Ishikawa says they need to work out details about when construction can resume. Ishikawa says they hope state and county officials can assure safe passage for workers.

Protesters blocked the road to the mountain during previous construction attempts.

The court invalidated the project’s first permit in 2015, ruling that the approval process was flawed and ordering the parties to go through the steps again.

One of the main Native Hawaiian leaders in the fight against a giant telescope says she’s bewildered by a state Supreme Court ruling upholding the project’s construction permit.

Kealoha Pisciotta is among those who consider the mountain where the telescope is planned to be built to be sacred.

Pisciotta says she hasn’t fully read Tuesday’s decision. She says she’s shocked.

The ruling says astronomy and Native Hawaiian uses on Mauna Kea have co-existed for many years. The ruling says the Thirty Meter Telescope will not curtail or restrict Native Hawaiian uses.

Kealoha says the people of Hawaii shouldn’t be disheartened by the ruling because it doesn’t change that Mauna Kea on the Big Island is a sacred place.

The project has become one of Hawaii’s most divisive issues.

The Hawaii Supreme Court has ruled that the state land board was correct in approving a construction permit to build a giant telescope on a mountain Hawaiians consider sacred.

The ruling issued Tuesday is a victory for the Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Mauna Kea on the Big Island.

Telescope opponents appealed after a hearings officer recommended granting the permit and the land board approved it. Opponents complained about various due process issues, including that the hearings officer had a conflict of interest because she was a member of a Big Island astronomy center.

The project has been one of Hawaii’s most divisive issues.

The court invalidated the project’s first permit in 2015, ruling that the approval process was flawed and ordering the parties to go through the steps again.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>HONOLULU — The Latest on Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision upholding a construction permit for a giant telescope (all times local):

One of the main Native Hawaiian leaders in the fight against a giant telescope says she’s bewildered by a state Supreme Court ruling upholding the project’s construction permit.

Kealoha Pisciotta is among those who consider the mountain where the telescope is planned to be built to be sacred.

Pisciotta says she hasn’t fully read Tuesday’s decision. She says she’s shocked.

The ruling says astronomy and Native Hawaiian uses on Mauna Kea have co-existed for many years. The ruling says the Thirty Meter Telescope will not curtail or restrict Native Hawaiian uses.

Kealoha says the people of Hawaii shouldn’t be disheartened by the ruling because it doesn’t change that Mauna Kea on the Big Island is a sacred place.

The project has become one of Hawaii’s most divisive issues.

The Hawaii Supreme Court has ruled that the state land board was correct in approving a construction permit to build a giant telescope on a mountain Hawaiians consider sacred.

The ruling issued Tuesday is a victory for the Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Mauna Kea on the Big Island.

Telescope opponents appealed after a hearings officer recommended granting the permit and the land board approved it. Opponents complained about various due process issues, including that the hearings officer had a conflict of interest because she was a member of a Big Island astronomy centre.

The project has been one of Hawaii’s most divisive issues.

The court invalidated the project’s first permit in 2015, ruling that the approval process was flawed and ordering the parties to go through the steps again.</s>The Latest: Hawaii telescope foe: Get ready to resist

HONOLULU (AP) — The Latest on Hawaii Supreme Court's decision upholding a construction permit for a giant telescope (all times local):

A Native Hawaiian who opposes a giant telescope planned for a mountain he and others consider sacred say opponents need to be ready to stop construction now that the state Supreme Court has upheld the project's permit.

Kahookahi Kanuha says they need to resist with non-violent protests. He says it's not clear what that will look like, but protesters will likely return to Mauna Kea when construction crews return.

His message to Hawaiians: "hoomakaukau," get ready.

Richard Ha, a Native Hawaiian who supports the project, says he wants to "talk story" with opponents to figure out a common ground. He says he believes the long process that led to the ruling in favor of the Thirty Meter Telescope was "pono," or righteous.

Hawaii's attorney general says there are further legal actions possible in the long saga over whether a giant telescope can be built atop the state's tallest mountain.

Attorney General Russell Suzuki says there can be a motion for reconsideration filed 10 days after Tuesday's state Supreme Court ruling that upholds the Thirty Meter Telescope's construction permit.

Suzuki says those who challenge the ruling could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review it.

Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the main telescope opponents, says she's not sure what their next steps will be. She says she doesn't hold out much hope for the legal system.

Gov. David Ige says he's pleased the decision will allow Hawaii to lead the world in astronomy.

State Department of Land and Natural Resources Chairwoman Suzanne Case says the next steps involving telescope builders submitting construction plans. The department will review plans before issuing permission to proceed.

The nonprofit company that wants to build a giant telescope on a Hawaii mountain says it is excited to proceed now that the state Supreme Court has upheld the project's construction permit.

TMT International Observatory Board of Governors Chairman Henry Yang says in a statement they are grateful Tuesday's ruling will allow the Thirty Meter Telescope to be built on Mauna Kea.

Thirty Meter Telescope spokesman Scott Ishikawa says they need to work out details about when construction can resume. Ishikawa says they hope state and county officials can assure safe passage for workers.

Protesters blocked the road to the mountain during previous construction attempts.

The court invalidated the project's first permit in 2015, ruling that the approval process was flawed and ordering the parties to go through the steps again.

One of the main Native Hawaiian leaders in the fight against a giant telescope says she's bewildered by a state Supreme Court ruling upholding the project's construction permit.

Kealoha Pisciotta is among those who consider the mountain where the telescope is planned to be built to be sacred.

Pisciotta says she hasn't fully read Tuesday's decision. She says she's shocked.

The ruling says astronomy and Native Hawaiian uses on Mauna Kea have co-existed for many years. The ruling says the Thirty Meter Telescope will not curtail or restrict Native Hawaiian uses.

Kealoha says the people of Hawaii shouldn't be disheartened by the ruling because it doesn't change that Mauna Kea on the Big Island is a sacred place.

The project has become one of Hawaii's most divisive issues.

The Hawaii Supreme Court has ruled that the state land board was correct in approving a construction permit to build a giant telescope on a mountain Hawaiians consider sacred.

The ruling issued Tuesday is a victory for the Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Mauna Kea on the Big Island.

Telescope opponents appealed after a hearings officer recommended granting the permit and the land board approved it. Opponents complained about various due process issues, including that the hearings officer had a conflict of interest because she was a member of a Big Island astronomy center.

The project has been one of Hawaii's most divisive issues.

The court invalidated the project's first permit in 2015, ruling that the approval process was flawed and ordering the parties to go through the steps again.</s>HONOLULU, Hawaii – Hawaii’s Supreme Court upheld a decision to grant a construction permit for an embattled, international giant telescope project planned for a mountain Native Hawaiians consider sacred.

The court ruling Tuesday is a victory for the contentious Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Hawaii’s tallest mountain, Mauna Kea. Opponents say the telescope will desecrate sacred land on the Big Island. Supporters say it will bring educational and economic opportunities to the state.

Opponents and supporters have been awaiting the ruling because it was expected to help determine whether the project is built in Hawaii or moves to a backup location in Spain’s Canary Islands that’s less desirable to scientists hoping to use the instrument for groundbreaking discoveries.

Plans for the project date to 2009, when scientists selected Mauna Kea after a five-year, around-the-world campaign to find the ideal site for what telescope officials said “will likely revolutionize our understanding of the universe.”

The project won a series of approvals from Hawaii, including a permit to build on conservation land in 2011.

Protests disrupted a groundbreaking and Hawaiian blessing ceremony at the site in 2014. After that, the protests intensified and divided the community, with some Native Hawaiians saying they were afraid to publicly support the project. Construction stopped in April 2015 after 31 protesters were arrested for blocking the work. A second attempt to restart construction a few months later ended with more arrests and crews retreating when they encountered large boulders in the road.

Scientists revere the mountain for its summit above the clouds that provides a clear view of the sky with very little air and light pollution.

The telescope will allow astronomers to reach back 13 billion years to answer fundamental questions about the advent of the universe, touts a website for the project. “In the nearby universe, with TMT, astronomers will be able to discover and characterize, in detail, planets orbiting stars other than the Sun. There is the potential to examine these planets for signs of life beyond the Earth: this would be one of the most important discoveries of all time,” the website says.

Opponents appealed and 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.

After oftentimes emotional testimony for the hearing that spanned 44 days, the retired judge presiding over the proceeding recommended granting the permit, with conditions that employees attend mandatory cultural and natural resources training and that employment opportunities be filled locally “to the greatest extent possible.”

Opponents appealed again after the land board approved the permit. They complained about various due process issues, including that the hearings officer had a conflict of interest because she was a member of a Big Island astronomy centre.

A group of universities in California and Canada make up the telescope company, with partners from China, India and Japan. The instrument’s primary mirror would measure 98 feet (30 metres) in diameter. Compared with the largest existing visible-light telescope in the world, it would be three times as wide, with nine times more area.

Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano, has been the first choice, telescope officials said, calling it the best location in the world for astronomy. They identified an alternate site on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands if the telescope couldn’t be built in Hawaii.
The Hawaii Supreme Court affirms the permit for the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.