An undated image of the Maui Space Surveillance Complex atop Haleakala shows in red outline where the proposed Air Force Maui Optical Small Telescope Advanced Research facility would be built. (U.S. Air Force)
The Air Force has extended the public comment period for a controversial plan to add up to seven telescopes on a small parcel atop a Maui mountain regarded as sacred by some native Hawaiians.
The comment period will increase from 45 to 75 days, or until April 15, for the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Air Force Maui Optical Small Telescope Advanced Research facility, the service said in a news release Thursday.
The proposed telescope project would “enhance satellite tracking and communication, making it possible to characterize, catalog, and track tens of thousands of space objects,” according to the release.
Haleakala, a dormant volcano, provides high elevation, little artificial light and minimal weather impact,” the Air Force said.
The extension came because of feedback, much of it negative, during public hearings held on Maui in February regarding the 516-page draft statement.
“It is imperative for us to remain engaged, receptive, and transparent with community members,” Space Force Lt. Col. Doug Thornton, commander of 15th Space Surveillance Squadron, said in the release.
The squadron operates the Maui Space Surveillance Complex atop the 10,000-foot summit of Haleakala.
“As we move through this process, we will continue to have respectful engagements and value the feedback we receive,” Thornton said.
The telescopes would be confined to a parcel smaller than an acre and adjacent to the surveillance complex. The site is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Squadron leaders faced blistering opposition during the public hearings.
“This has nothing to do with science,” Lisa Galloway testified at the Feb. 17 hearing, according to a report by Hawaii News Now that day.
“It is about your continued desecration of our land,” she said. “You’re here on stolen land.”
Ancient Native Hawaiians regarded the peak to be the navel, or center, of Maui, with cultural resources in the area dating back more than 1,000 years. It is still regarded as sacred by some Hawaiians.
Another speaker told the officials that the military “does not have a good record here,” according to Hawaii News Now.
About 700 gallons of diesel fuel spilled at the surveillance complex in January 2023. Remediation of the spill site is ongoing.
On Oahu, a massive jet fuel spill near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in late 2021 contaminated drinking water for tens of thousands of residents living in military housing.
Controversy has raged for years on the Big Island over telescopes on top of Mauna Kea overseen by the University of Hawaii.
The draft environmental impact statement for the Maui project is at www.amosstareis.com/.
