Hawaiʻi County Mayor Meets With TMT Officials About Mauna Kea's Future
By Ku`uwehi Hiraishi • Jan 9, 2020
Mayor Harry Kim
Ku'uwehi Hiraishi
Hawaiʻi Island Mayor Harry Kim met with Thirty Meter Telescope officials this week to discuss next steps in resolving the Mauna Kea dispute.
TMT board members Henry Yang and Saku Tsuneta flew into Hilo to share their concerns over what might follow a recent deal struck between the Big Island mayor and telescope opponents.
Last week, Mayor Kim said he agreed to suspend the county's law enforcement activity on Mauna Kea for two months. In return, those calling themselves kiaʻi or protectors of the mountain cleared their tents from the access road that they had blocked since July.
Scott Ishikawa, a spokesman for TMT's developers, would not comment on the Hilo meeting, noting it was a private one.
But Mayor Kim said he told the telescope officials he plans to bring both sides together and review all options in resolving the Mauna Kea standoff.
"If I tell them, this is a meeting where there will be no TMT, they're not going to show up," he said referring to TMT officials. "Or if I tell the kiaʻi there will be a meeting and the agenda is the scope will be on the mountain, I'll have both sides not come.
"The best way is to get them together first and then give them an opportunity to talk and express positions, and know each other, and see where we can go. And that's what I'm going to try to do."
Kim's two-month agreement with the protesters expires at the end of February.
kiai
Governor Says Hawaii Spent $15M To Ensure Mauna Kea Access
Ryan Finnerty/HPR
HILO — Hawaii has spent about $15 million to ensure safe access to Mauna Kea during an ongoing protest of a giant telescope project, the governor said.
TMT Won't Begin Construction At This Time, Protesters Told To Clear Mauna Kea
By Ryan Finnerty, Casey Harlow & Ku`uwehi Hiraishi • Dec 19, 2019
Dan Dennison/DLNR via AP
Updated: Dec. 20, 6:45 a.m.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced Thursday he is withdrawing state law enforcement officers from Mauna Kea after informed that the $1.6 billion Thirty Meter Telescope won't proceed with construction at this time. Protesters who have stopped construction of the telescope say they were told to move out by Dec. 26 or face arrest.
Mauna Kea Summit Road Clear For 1st Time Since July
Protesters at the Mauna Kea Access Road removed barricades for the first time since July as the demonstrators against a giant telescope project shift their focus away from the construction site.