UCLA Faculty Association: The Hawaiian Telescope (TMT)

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

The Hawaiian Telescope (TMT) - Update

From time to time, we check in on the Hawaiian telescope project (the thirty-meter telescope or TMT) in which UC has a part and which has been blocked from construction due to protests by Native Hawaiian groups. If past meetings are any guide, it is likely that in the public comments segments of the January Regents meetings, you will hear statements about the project - usually negative, but not always.

One development is that Hawaii has elected a new governor - Josh Green, MD - who took office on December 5th.* Green's position on the telescope is somewhat vague. He says he favors scientific projects, but respects the religious beliefs of Native Hawaiians. So, it appears he would like the project to go forward, but somehow also wants the agreement of the groups protesting the project.** As blog readers will know, Hawaii has reconfigured the control of the Mauna Kea site and the project will be studied as part of that reconfiguration.

One oddity is that in India, news stories have recently appeared concerning that country's role in the TMT project. The stories are strange in that they do not mention the fact that the project has been stalled by protests. They talk about the plan as if it is clearly going ahead and will be completed in 2032.***

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*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Green_(politician).

**https://youtu.be/pWcjCTa6ok8?t=158.

***https://weather.com/en-IN/india/space/news/2022-12-21-india-to-help-build-largest-ever-thirty-metre-telescope; https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1030780.

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