Canary Troubles Thursday, August 26, 2021
Remember the Hawaiian telescope issue that repeatedly comes up during public comments at Regents meetings? Apart from mentions in public comments at the Regents, our most recent post about the issue was just a year ago.* The Regents themselves discussed the project - in which UC is involved - back in July 2020, at the behest of then-Chair John Pérez.** In essence, some native Hawaiians oppose the project and blocked construction. Hawaiian government officials seem to want the project - the telescopes on Mauna Kea are a source of a significant inflow of funding - but seem paralyzed about making any decisions in the face of opposition. Complicating the issue is the possibility of an alternative site in the Canary Islands. At one point in the July 2020 hearing, one of the astronomers who testified said the Canary Island site was not as good as Hawaii, but that it was "90%" as good - whatever that meant. To a former politician such as Regent Pérez, however, getting 90% of what you want as a compromise sounds pretty good. Nevertheless, there the matter rested; the Regents have since made no decision about pulling out of Hawaii. What didn't come across during the July 2020 Regents' session on the telescope was that there is also local controversy about, and opposition to, the Canary Island site. Now there is a Spanish court decision blocking a potential Canary Island site: Spain judge nixes backup site for disputed Hawaii telescope Aritz Parra, APNews, 8-25-21 MADRID (AP) — A Spanish judge in a decision cheered by environmentalists has put a halt to backup plans for the construction of a giant telescope in the Canary Islands — eliminating at least for now the primary alternative location to the preferred spot in Hawaii, where there have been protests against the telescope. Construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, on Hawaii’s tallest mountain, Mauna Kea, has been stalled by opponents who say the project will desecrate land held sacred to some Native 212
UCLA Faculty Association Blog: 3rd Quarter 2021
