Maunakea Rules Meeting Moved to UH Hilo

UH Board of Regents Chair Benjamin Kudo. PC: University of Hawai‘i

The location of the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents decision-making meeting on the proposed administrative rules for UH managed lands on Maunakea, scheduled for Nov. 6, 2019, has been moved to the UH Hilo campus.

The special meeting was initially scheduled to be held at UH West Oʻahu and is being relocated to Hawaiʻi Island to provide more opportunities for participation from the community most directly impacted by the proposed rules, a UH press release said.

The latest draft of the rules follows eight public hearings on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui during 2018 and 2019. The proposed rules will be publicly posted in advance of the November meeting so members of the public will have ample opportunity to provide written and oral in-person testimony.

A minimum six-day notification is required and the university will publicly announce when the rules are available for review. The meeting agenda will also be posted with the exact time and location of the meeting, at least six days prior.

Section 20-26-1 of the proposed rules states that their purpose is to “provide for the proper use, management, and protection of cultural, natural, and scientific resources of the UH management areas; to promote public safety and welfare by regulating public and commercial activity within the UH management areas; to ensure safe and appropriate access to the UH management areas for the public; and to foster co-management with the department of land and natural resources in UH management areas.”

At the meeting, the regents could adopt the latest draft of the proposed rules, request a third round of formal public hearings on new draft rules that are substantially different from the current draft, or defer decision-making, the release said. If adopted by the regents, the rules will proceed through the remainder of the administrative rules process to Gov. David Ige for final approval.