The council will vote on a resolution on Wednesday to officially oppose construction of up to seven telescopes on the dormant volcano. More than 20 people from Hawaii to Tahiti urged the Maui County Council on Monday to oppose the military’s plan to build more telescopes atop Haleakala, the Valley Isle’s highest peak at 10,000 feet. The U.
S. Space Force was on island to give an update on its plans to mount up to seven telescopes on Haleakala as well as clean up a 700-gallon diesel spill on the mountain that happened in January 2023. Lt.
Col. Phillip Wagenbach, commander of the 15th Space Surveillance Squadron, told the council’s Efficiency Solutions and Circular Systems Committee that his agency is finishing phase two of the cleanup and is close to embarking on the final stage which will involve a complete remediation of the site. Phase two has involved collecting soil samples, analyzing the results and coming up with remediation alternatives.
Wagenbach and the committee heard from cultural practitioners who oppose putting any more telescopes on a mountain that many Native Hawaiians consider sacred. Members of the Tahitian cultural and environmental preservation group Haururu performed a song and addressed the cultural ties they share with Native Hawaiians, how they are visiting the state for the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture in Honolulu and how they share the concerns about the telescope project. Several said the military has created a painful legacy in Hawaii.
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