Opponents argue that Mauna Kea is a sacred site, and point to the 13 since-retired telescopes left behind there as construction debris. However, as part of the Notice to Proceed issued for the TMT project earlier this year, five telescopes will be decommissioned and the areas restored to their original states.
That has not stopped additional lawsuits, though. An activist coalition, the People of Hawaii, filed a legal action earlier this month arguing that TMT officials failed to post the required bond in the full amount of the project. The bond would pay for future restoration of the site.
