Summary continues
In Maui, a proposal to expand the U.S. military’s telescope network on Haleakalā is running into intensifying local opposition as the public weighs a draft environmental impact statement released late last month. At the first of two public hearings on Tuesday, more than 100 people packed into the Kīhei Community Center for a chance to comment and ask questions about the draft, which lays out expected effects and proposed mitigation for the project.
The plan would increase the government’s space-tracking capability by adding additional telescopes on the volcano’s summit, where six academic and four space surveillance telescopes already sit. The Air Force says new telescopes are needed to enhance the United States’ ability to track and identify potential threats among satellites and other objects in space across the Pacific, and it argues the project’s environmental impact would be minimal.
Haleakalā is home to numerous endangered or threatened species, including the Hawaiian hoary bat, the Hawaiian shearwater, and the Hawaiian goose, known as the nēnē, as well as a species of silversword found only on the mountain. Even so, the draft environmental impact statement anticipates likely significant adverse effects on cultural resources, stating that the mountaintop is considered sacred and deeply spiritual by many Native Hawaiians and others.
Opponents at the hearing challenged how the draft report addresses those concerns. Many residents said federal officials have not done enough to incorporate feedback from locals and argued that the environmental report does not provide sufficient strategies to mitigate negative impacts on cultural and environmental resources. Several also raised fears about Maui becoming a military target, including in light of what they described as a pattern of harm associated with military operations on Hawaiian land.
One prominent critique came from Mona Kea, who told the hearing panel, “You have no answers other than sorry, we are going to do better.” Kea added, “Nobody believes you at this point, so I don’t really understand why you are still here. It’s such a clear and resounding no from the community.” In the draft’s broader debate, opponents pointed to the Air Force’s January 2023 diesel fuel spill at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex, which they said involved 720 gallons and was caused by a lightning strike.
U.S. officials have pointed to cleanup efforts after that spill as evidence that the military prioritizes cultural resources. In a written statement shared at the hearing, U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Douglas Thornton, commander of the 15th Space Surveillance Squadron, said, “Restoring the land in a way that is culturally informed has been and continues to be our top priority to ensure we do this right.” Thornton also said, “We are cognizant of the cultural significance of our operational location to provide essential space domain awareness and continue to build trust with the community in which we live and work.”
The proposal has also surfaced as part of a longer-running struggle over telescope development near Haleakalā’s summit. In 2015 and 2017, demonstrators were arrested after laying in the road to stop construction vehicles transporting parts for the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, a separate but related project. Federal officials first unveiled plans for up to seven new telescopes in 2024, and they held public hearings that year as local opposition mounted.
In 2024, Maui County Council also voted unanimously to oppose the planned telescope expansion, and Mayor Richard Bissen sent a letter to the Air Force expressing the community’s disapproval. Even with that history, federal officials have maintained that the need for expanded telescopes will grow as space debris continues to accumulate in Earth’s orbit.
The draft environmental impact statement describes the planned area for the new facilities as small in footprint, with domed telescopes and related infrastructure—such as a new paved access road, parking facilities and surface water runoff management measures—built on less than 1 acre near the existing space surveillance complex. The completed complex would be called the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site Small Telescope Advanced Research Facility, or AMOS STAR. Federal officials said construction is currently planned to begin by 2027 and is expected to take about two years.
A hui of local organizations has grouped under the banner “Protect Haleakalā,” with group leaders saying there remains a lack of sufficient consultation with Native Hawaiian organizations. Kiope Raymond, president of the Native Hawaiian group Kilakila O Haleakalā, said the experience has become painful over time and that the process itself has caused trauma. Raymond also said Haleakalā lacks a comprehensive management plan that brings together the National Park Service, multiple military branches, and the University of Hawaiʻi, raising concerns that agencies could operate in silos.
The hearing process will continue on Wednesday, when the Air Force and U.S. Space Force will host a second public hearing from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Makawao. Federal officials will also accept written feedback on the 516-page document through March 16.