The University of Hawaii is urging the Maunakea Oversight and Stewardship Authority to consider extending leases for observatories located on Maunakea.

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The University of Hawaii is urging the Maunakea Oversight and Stewardship Authority to consider extending leases for observatories located on Maunakea.

UH recently sent a letter to MKSOA leadership proposing to initiate the transfer of the master lease for the over 11,000-acre summit area. This, along with a recent state bill signed into law in May, would allow MKSOA to extend subleases for observatories on the mountain before officially taking over management responsibilities from UH on Dec. 1, 2029.

UH Chancellor Bonnie Irwin, who is a nonvoting member of the MKSOA Board, said the legislation prompted the letter, which she signed along with UH Manoa Chancellor Vassilis Syrmos and UH President Wendy Hensel.

“The way we (UH) see it is we need to transfer the master lease, and then the authority could extend or not – their choice – the subleases,” she said. “UH can’t really do anything in that space now. If we were to try to extend a sublease, which I don’t think we can, but even if we were to try, it would be invalid as soon as everything else moves.”

The current master lease for the summit, which has been held by UH since 1968, is set to expire in 2033, at which point all of the observatories would be legally required to be removed if new terms are not in place allowing them to remain.

While MKSOA Board Chair John Komeiji has previously said he does not believe lease extensions are necessary because the agency intends to have a new management plan established by that date, there has been concern about the tight timeline.

Irwin said observatories will need to know soon whether or not they will be required to decommission — which she said takes time and planning.

“The observatories are all funded by national and international organizations, and if an observatory is going to decide to decommission, even that process takes about five years. So if you look at 2033 and back it out … that doesn’t give them much time to turn around and give the observatories guidance,” she said.

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While she said she is also hopeful that MKSOA will be able to meet the requirements of the transition by the deadline, she views lease extensions as a way to reduce uncertainty for the observatories and provide more time, if needed, for the new state agency to establish itself and prepare for the task of overseeing the mauna.

“From the university’s point of view, having done this work for many years — and knowing how long it takes to put plans together, to put administrative rules together — it just seemed to be a good idea to extend the (master) lease to make sure that everyone has ample time to do this right,” Irwin said.

MKSOA was created in 2022 after years of tension and conflict over Maunakea, with the goal of bringing different stakeholders together to come up with a plan for overseeing the site and taking over from UH.

MKSOA Executive Director John De Fries sent a response to the UH letter on June 26 expressing MKSOA’s commitment to working with UH for a successful transition and said the authority would look into the matter of the master lease.

“We acknowledge the university’s proposal regarding assignment of the master lease and appreciate the information provided regarding lease extensions and transition planning,” he wrote in the letter. “The authority will carefully evaluate these matters as part of its broader transition responsibilities and statutory obligations.”

A spokesperson for MKSOA also said the agency needed to consult with legal counsel in determining how to move forward.

The UH letter is on the agenda to be discussed at MKSOA’s next board meeting, which will take place at 10 a.m. Thursday at 640 N. A‘ohoku Place, Hilo, HI. The agenda and more information can be viewed at dlnr.hawaii.gov/maunakea-authority/.

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Email Grace Inez Adams at [email protected].