---
title: "Opposition to the Mauna Kea Observatories"
chunk: 3/3
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_to_the_Mauna_Kea_Observatories"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:32:06.129220+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a proposal for a large, segmented, mirror telescope, planned for the summit of Mauna Kea. The TMT has become a focal point for protests against further development of the observatory site, and a legal battle was fought through the Hawaii court system. The Supreme Court of Hawaii approved the resumption of construction of the telescope on 31 October 2018.
The TMT project is a response to a recommendation in 2000 from the US National Academy of Sciences that a thirty-meter telescope be the top priority and be built within the decade. Urgency in construction is due to the competitive nature of science with the European-Extremely Large Telescope also under construction. Mauna Kea's summit is the most sacred of all the mountains in Hawaii to many, but not all, Native Hawaiian people. Hawaiian cultural practitioners cite impacts to indigenous cultural practice, while recreational users have argued that construction harms the scenic view plane. Some environmentalists are concerned that irreparable ecological damage may be done by construction, although this has been disputed by other environmental advocates. All three groups are represented among the petitioners opposing the TMT. According to the State of Hawaii law HAR 13-5-30, the eight key criteria must be met before construction be allowed on conservation lands in Hawaii. 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."
Native Hawaiian activists such as Kealoha Pisciotta, a former employee of the Mauna Kea Observatories, have raised concerns over the telescopes on Mauna Kea desecrating what some Native Hawaiians consider to be their most sacred mountain. Pisciotta, a former telescope systems specialist technician at James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, is one of several people suing to stop the construction, and is also director of Mauna Kea Anaina Hou. As of April 2015, two separate appeals were still pending.
The 1998 study Mauna Kea Science Reserve and Hale Pohaku Complex Development Plan Update stated that "...nearly all the interviewees and all others who participated in the consultation process (Appendices B and C) called for a moratorium on any further development on the summit of Mauna Kea."
The Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources gave final approval for the project in September 2017 after a protracted hearing process that included a six month long contested case hearing.  This decision was challenged in the Hawaii State Supreme Court the following year.  The court ruled that the DLNR decision was valid and that construction may proceed.
As of late 2021 construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope remained paused due to the controversy and ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Decadal report of the National Science Foundation has recommended federal investment in the TMT project.  The controversy surrounding construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope continues. Independent polls commissioned by local media organizations show consistent support for the project in the islands with over two thirds of local residents supporting the project.  These same polls indicate Native Hawaiian community support remains split with about half of Hawaiian respondents supporting construction of the new telescope.
In June 2025 the United States' National Science Foundation dropped support for the TMT in favor of the Giant Magellan Telescope. This lack of funding puts the TMT's future in doubt, although the scientists in the TMT international consortium said they would press forward.

== Stewardship change ==
A July 2022, state law responds to the protests by removing sole control over the master land lease from the University of Hawaii. After a joint transition period from 2023 to 2028, control will shift to the new Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, which will include representatives from the University, astronomers and native Hawaiians.

== References ==