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Though my goodness girl I admire your perseverance.
I appreciate ophikao's nuanced understanding of the issue too. She recognizes and reminds us of details that otherwise tend to get lost in the fray.
I also admire that she focuses on the issue at hand, and doesn't lob distractions into the discussion. For example, that the TMT is designed to shoot laser beams which will destroy small sovereign nations, or a perfect alternate location for the observatory might be a remote, mountain in India, which might sound good if you ignore minor details like near impossible accessibility and zero infrastructure.
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
-Joseph Brodsky
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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quote:
Originally posted by gypsy69
If what you say is true, that the master lease was set to expire in the year 2033. Then Wouldn't the TMT observatory also have to be decommissioned before this 2033 date? Or did the TMT possibly assume that if they built the telescope before that date then they would be more likely to extend this master lease?
The TMT decided to go forward with their telescope project despite the uncertainty surrounding precinct master lease . There was plans to start the process of extending the lease, but those plans are on hold. The EA process has to start over again with a shorter lease extension than the 65 year extension orginally sought.
The issues surrounding TMT project is simply the short game. The long game is the extension of the master lease. If its not extended, then all of the telescopes on Mauna Kea will be facing decommissioning between 2025-2033.
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I recall the said auditor's report regarding Mauna Kea done in 1998? The University of Hawaii has enacted two management plans for Mauna Kea; one in 2000, and the other in 2010 (the comprehensive management plan). A lot of things have changed since 1998, so I believe its fair to say that you're beating a dead horse whenever you bring up the said Auditor's report.
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Lest you may have missed it HOTPE... TMT eyes India for possible site
OK, I'll bite. The only news report on this is from one newspaper in India, picked up by the Trib-Herald. The TMT Corp doesn't mention it on their site. It sounds like India as a partner in the project said, "hey, we have a mountain" and to be polite and diplomatic TMT reps said, we'll come and take a look at it... in a few months. You don't want to insult your partners in a project.
I'm not a betting man, but I would bet some serious change against the TMT ever being built on that particular mountain in India.
Now... back to your regularly scheduled programming...
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
-Joseph Brodsky
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
Aaron S, mahalo again for yet another very informative and respectful reply.
Forgive me for I do have A few questions regarding the TMT project.
Who assesses or assessed the value of the 8 or 9 acre land parcel "northern plateau" the TMT observatory wants to build upon?
Is the market value for the summit of maunakea really worth 1 million a year? If so, why aren't the many other operating telescopes paying this made up market value?
Also Because my wife and i have invested and live in leilani estates, next to the only electric producing geothermal power plant in Hawaii"38 mw'ts". I have the following questions or concerns on to how the TMT project and years of future operations may affect my families way of life.
What was or is the longterm plan on how to provide the vast amount of needed electricity to operate the TMT telescope say in the year 2033, and beyond? "Someone please try to explain geothermal's or lower puna's role in providing the electricity needed for the tmt"
How many of the current 22 telescopes atop the sacred summit of muanakea have million dollar helco electricity bills?
Does lower puna's geothermal already provide or produce electricity for the current operating telescopes atop muanakea? Do they use more electricity than Lower puna uses?
If we say yes to the tmt today, are we also saying yes to more geothermal power plants in lower puna tomorrow?
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How many of the current 22 telescopes atop the sacred summit of muanakea have million dollar helco electricity bills?
----
I will take an easy guess on this. None of them.
PS - If you think it is sacred, you could at least capitalize the name and spell it correctly...
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If we say yes to the tmt today, are we also saying yes to more geothermal power plants in lower puna tomorrow?
How about: let's alter the County Charter so that nothing else may be built anywhere on the island. Then we can stop arguing about whether the TMT's secret military lasers are spreading ROD, and anyone smart enough to need a higher education won't have to worry about whether that's possible here -- they can just leave, and by selling their house (now worth $$$$$ due to the limited supply) can easily afford tuition anywhere they like.
Halting all development also means HELCO won't have to burn as much oil, and it'll stop the spread of LFA too. Win-win!
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Don't worry. Honolulu has a dream of running extension cords from all the islands to lovely Puna, where they will plug into the largest geothermal plant known to man. How is that for an eye opener? Just kidding, I hope.
Community begins with Aloha
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running extension cords from all the islands to lovely Puna
Correct: Oahu needs this to greenwash the light rail system.
I believe money is already being spent on studies...
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running extension cords from all the islands to lovely Puna
Yes, running an electrical cable through highly conductive salt water. What could possibly go wrong?
"Underwater Frankenstein!" coming to a theater near you!
In a world, an underwater world, Frank Stein relaxed in the calm waters off the Hawaiian Islands, on a three hour tour and scuba dive. Little could he know that beneath the placid waves of the Pacific, lurked a frayed HELCO cable, which when accidentally hooked by the anchor of his tour boat would send one million dollars worth of electricity into the nearest metal object... Frank Stein's oxygen tank.
He didn't die, but returned instead to the island reanimated, seeking a permanent source of electrical power to maintain the new life force now found within him. He followed the poles and wires along the roadways of the island knowing somehow it would lead him to the source of all evil, the Puna Geothermal Plant. When he arrived at the gate a HELCO agent presented him with a bill for the $1,000,000 of electricity drawn from the underwater cable, sending Frank N. Stein into a rage beyond all measure, within a two mile radius surrounding the PGV plant.
Tag Line: Plug 'im in, plug 'im in.
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
-Joseph Brodsky
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves