Moving Forward with the Mau...

The Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan was approved by the State Department of Land and Natural Resources board last week, a major milestone to full acceptance and implementation of the plan. This moves the management of the Mauna Kea summit from an Oahu bureaucracy that has traditionally shown little interest in taking care of the summit, to a local entity with a vested interest in properly managing the resource and the funding to do so.

The DLNR board did maintain the right of oversight to insure compliance with the new CMP. It was correctly pointed out by the board that the plan needs some additional clarification on several subjects such as public access and decommissioning procedures for the telescopes. Under the terms of the approval the university is to provide several additional documents to address these issues. The process is not done yet, turning the plan into specific policies will require a great deal of effort, but the situation is certianly moving in a good direction.

Somehow opponents are claiming that the MKCMP was widely opposed by the majority, when more impartial accounts show that support and opposition were evenly mixed at the meetings. This is similar to the common tactic of these groups when they imply they speak for all Hawaiians. When in reality the Hawaiian community is a very diverse group, with political views across the spectrum on the issue.

The opposition groups are doing their best to spin a loss, a fairly decisive loss with the board voting unanimously to approve the plan. They will almost certianly contest the case using the mechanisms available withing the DLNR process. The approval of the MKCMP is likely to be upheld there as well, after which we will see the lawsuits begin. But can they prevail without widespread community support? It is clear that the business community and unions have put their weight behind the plan looking forward to the possible construction of the TMT and the enormous influx of money and jobs coming to an island economy reeling from recession.

Another critical element is facing a deadline, HB 1174, which transfers some management authority for the summit to the UofH. The bill is facing second crossover in the Hawaiian legislature. It was passed by the Ways And Means committee 9 to 3 on Monday and is moving forward to crossover in good shape.

Opponents have been able to successfully oppose other recent local projects in court because rules were not followed properly. This time the rules are being followed carefully, good for the process and good for the mountain. The new CMP should allow the many groups with vested interests access to the summit with the controls needed to preserve the environment. The plan is by no means finished, if you are concerned about the mountain, get involved and participate, there are plenty of upcoming opportunities for public input in how we share Mauna Kea. As many have very succinctly expressed... "The world is run by those who show up."