The Thirty Meter Telescope project is getting ready to submit its draft EIS.

When I volunteered for the Thirty Meter Telescope committee of the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board nearly three years ago, I said: “If the TMT is to come here, we need to do it right.”

There needed to be big changes:

• We needed to make sure that the mountain was under the control of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. Mauna Kea is the kuleana of Big Islanders, and this was an important change. It happened. A rule making bill passed through the legislature, which gave the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo enforcement powers to protect the mountain.
• We agreed with Judge Hara that a Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) needed to be done. The CMP has been done.
• We’ve said from the start that $1/year rent is not acceptable anymore. Instead of $50 for 50 years, let’s start at $1 million/year, which would be $50 million for the education of our keiki from kindergarden to 12th grade.

As I said nearly three years ago: “If the TMT is to come here, we need to do it right.”

This is the beginning of doing it right.