Hawaii's Supreme Court approves controversial Thirty-Meter Telescope despite protests from natives

Hawaii's Supreme Court makes a controversial decision to approve a telescope.

ByAcacia Nunes
October 31, 2018, 3:34 PM
Telescopes on the top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, July 10, 2010.
Telescopes on the top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, July 10, 2010.
ullstein bild via Getty Images, FILE

Hawaii’s Supreme Court made a controversial decision on a long-debated issue by voting in favor of continuing the construction of a large telescope on the Mauna Kea volcano, a mountain that's considered sacred to native Hawaiians.

The court voted on Tuesday in favor of the state's Board of Land and Natural Resources' decision in 2017 to grant a construction permit to build the Thirty-Meter Telescope, also known as TMT.

PHOTO: Telescopes dot the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island, Aug. 31, 2015. Hawaii's Supreme Court upheld a decision to grant a construction permit for an embattled, giant telescope project planned for a mountain Native Hawaiians consider sacred.
Telescopes dot the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island, Aug. 31, 2015. 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.
Caleb Jones/AP, FILE

“We’re pleased the court carefully considered and weighed all the varied and passionate testimony about TMT," Hawaiian Governor David Ige said in a statement on Tuesday. "We believe this decision is fair and right and will continue to keep Hawai‘i at the forefront of astronomy."

The decision follows years of litigation in courts and protests from Native Hawaiians, many of whom fear that the impending project will desecrate a spiritual space, according to ABC affiliate KITV.

PHOTO: University of Hawaii President David Lassner, left, speaks at a news conference, Oct. 30, 2018 in Honolulu regarding a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling upholding a decision to grant a permit for the the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.
University of Hawaii President David Lassner, left, speaks at a news conference, Oct. 30, 2018 in Honolulu accompanied by state Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairwoman Suzanne Case, second from left, Attorney General Russell Suzuki,second from right, and Hawaii Gov. David Ige, right, regarding a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling upholding a decision to grant a permit for the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.
Audrey McAvoy/AP

In response to the persistent opposition, which is only expected to intensify with the court's decision, TMT spokesperson Scott Ishikawa stressed that the company would do its best to be good to the mountain.

“I think everybody understands now that it is a special place — that everyone has to take their own responsibility of taking care of her,” Ishikawa said.

PHOTO: Protesters gather during the first of many blockades at the Mauna Kea visitors center to stopping construction vehicles heading to the site of the Thirty Mile Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, June 24, 2015.
Protesters gather during the first of many blockades at the Mauna Kea visitors center to stopping construction vehicles heading to the site of the Thirty Mile Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, June 24, 2015.
Hawaii Tribune-Herald via AP, File

David Lassner, president of the University of Hawaii, which has backed the construction of TMT, added in the governor's statement: "We will ensure that this project is accomplished appropriately and with the deepest respect for the awesomeness of Mauna Kea."

Now that construction on TMT has been approved, the benchmark $1.4 billion dollar project is one step closer to its projected 2029 completion.

ABC News Live

ABC News Live

24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events