TMT Hearing Officer Holds Pre-Hearing Conference
On Monday, retired Judge Riki May Amano, who was selected on May 6 to oversee a contested case hearing for the Thirty Meter Telescope, met with lawyers in an informal meeting open to the public.
In the meeting, she discussed motions, schedules and the materials she would need in her file moving forward towards the hearing for the construction permit for the $1.4 billion telescope slated for the slope of Mauna Kea.
The Associated Press reports that Amano says she wants a “fresh look at the issue.”
In December, the Hawai’i Supreme Court invalidated the project’s construction permit. A new contested case hearing was ordered in order for the project to move forward.
According to the AP, Amano said the meeting held Monday should normally be private, but it allowed a group of at least 50 people into the meeting room at the Department of Land and Natural Resources office.
A hearing was scheduled for June by Amano for requests submitted by those who want to participate in the contested case proceeding.