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Tue, Dec 4th
Hawaii Supreme Court lets ruling stand on giant telescope
... the state’s highest court filed an order last week denying opponents' motion for it to reconsider the ruling on the Big Island project.
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2018/12/04/...telescope/
"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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Any idea where we stand now? Is there a date for construction to start?
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The TMT project has to renew their NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit, which in usual circumstances is a rubber stamp permit. However, the DOH will be holding a public hearing in Kona regarding this permit renewal on June 25th due a large amount public comment.
The NPDES permit, along with a DLNR NTP authorization, is required before construction can start.
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I associate NPDES permits with situations where somebody is discharging wastewater into another body of water. All wastewater treatment plants require one. Powerplants that use ocean or river water for cooling all have them. Cities have them for the storm water that they discharge when it rains. How does an observatory that will be trucking every drop of water that they produce down to, presumably, a wastewater treatment plant, get caught up in that?
All the people protesting will then shortly go to the bathroom* and flush their waste into the ocean ultimately. They will drive home leaving traces of oil on the roads that will end up in the ocean.
Given that the TMT will discharge almost nothing compared to themselves, if they were really sincere they would minimize their driving and hence their impact on the aina by staying home.
ETA: * I hope they will use the city's sanitary sewer system although "protectors" crapping all over Mauna Kea have already set a bad precedent.
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NPDES permits deal with best practices regarding pollution discharges from the construction phase of the TMT project.
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Forgot all about that. Run-off from construction is a real issue. Still, construction of the TMT will be no worse than any of the other construction that has taken place or will take place. The road up there would have caused the same concerns during its construction and will have ongoing emissiona generated by anybody who uses the road.
