The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has dropped two longstanding lawsuits over the state's management of Maunakea, the board announced during a Thursday meeting.
The announcement came after the National Science Foundation withdrew financial support for the Thirty Meter Telescope project last month due to the expense of funding two major telescopes. Instead, the agency will fund the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile.
OHA agreed to a new approach to managing the state's tallest mountain, focusing on advocacy and stewardship in collaboration with the state.
“After years of litigation, with limited progress, and in light of recent news that the Thirty Meter Telescope will no longer receive National Science Foundation funding, we believe the time has come to pursue a path grounded in pilina, kuleana and aloha ʻāina,” said OHA Board Chair Kai Kahele during a meeting.
In 2017, OHA sued the state, the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and the University of Hawai‘i over claims of mismanagement of the mountain.
A 1998 state audit revealed that observatories were leaving trash and equipment behind, damaging historical sites. Other reports found that observatories had dumped chemicals, including sewage, on the mountain.
Maunakea has been home to some of the world's most advanced telescopes. However, it's also considered sacred to many Native Hawaiians, which has led to a conflict that resulted in the 2019 protest against the construction of TMT.
That protest led to the state lawmakers approving the creation of the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, an effort to give Native Hawaiians a greater say in the management of the mountain. The new board was also created to undergo a five-year transition period, during which the university would transfer its responsibilities for the mountain’s summit and slopes to the board.
OHA testified during the 2022 legislative session on the creation of the board.
Last year, OHA sued the new Maunakea board, alleging the board was unconstitutional and that some of its members had conflicts of interest.
John De Fries, executive director of the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, said he's happy that OHA dropped the lawsuits.
“The challenges that face all of us going forward on Maunakea are immense and require a tremendous amount of focus and collaboration,” he told HPR.
De Fries said the board has three years left to complete the transition period.
