Hawaii Supreme Court vacates Thirty Meter Telescope permit

The Hawaii Supreme Court on Wednesday vacated the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope’s permit to build an observatory atop Mauna Kea and sent the case back to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources for a contested case hearing. The high court ruled that the board had “acted improperly when it issued the permit prior to holding a contest case hearing. No case or argument put forth by [University of Hawaii Hilo] or BLNR persuades otherwise.” The opinion, which follows a decision by…