TMT opponents deliver petition to major funder in California

News admin June 27, 2026 0 Comments

TMT opponents deliver petition to major funder in California

PALO ALTO, Calif. (HawaiiNewsNow) — Dozens of people — including tribal leaders, members of Mauna Kea Education and Awareness from Hawaii Island and others — delivered a petition Friday opposing construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in Palo Alto, California, which had committed $250 million to the project.

The group also delivered a copy of a cease-and-desist letter that had been sent to TMT.

“Over 500,000 people are here with us today in the spirit of saying no TMT on Maunakea,” Pua Case of Mauna Kea Education and Awareness told Hawaii News Now.

“Should the Thirty Meter Telescope be considered for the Caltech decommissioned site or back to the northern plateau, we are asking them to halt any further funding for the Thirty Meter Telescope and because they’re the largest single donor funder. That’s why we’re here,” Case said.

Alternative site under review

The petition comes as TMT is looking at another site on Maunakea. TMT’s project manager told the UH Board of Regents last month the project is looking at the site where the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory was decommissioned and removed in 2024.

“We have taken a preliminary look of whether we can possibly build TMT on the decommissioned site scientifically, engineering-wise technically and we believe this is very preliminary, of course, and we believe we can,” said Dr. Fengchuan Liu, TMT International Observatory project manager.

Liu also addressed the project’s history with the community.

“We apologize for our past approach. We’ve made mistakes. We focused too much on the legal rights to build TMT on Maunakea,” Liu said.

He said community engagement benefit programs focused too narrowly on benefiting STEM education and college scholarships. He said now efforts are broadening to people in Hawai’i from underrepresented communities, rural areas, and cultural environmental programs.

History of opposition

In 2019, months-long protests, including the arrests of 38 mostly kupuna, brought the start of construction to a standstill.

“So what comes to mind for me is how many times do we have to say no over these decades and how many ways do we have to say no,” Case said.

Statements from TMT and the Moore Foundation

“We have received the petition and are reviewing it. Though TIO has reviewed the scientific and technical feasibility of building on the decommissioned CSO site, we have taken no action to change from the approved TMT site on Maunakea. TIO remains committed to respectful engagement with Native Hawaiian and Hawaiʻi communities,” said Robert Kirshner, executive director, TMT International Observatory, in a statement.

“We appreciate the deeply held views on this issue, and we welcomed the opportunity to listen,” said Holly Potter, chief communications officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, in an email.