KITV4 News 4-7-15… "[State of Hawaii Governor] Ige declares ‘timeout’ on construction of telescope"

This is possibly just a delaying tactic, and the video news report included in this article says the same old things. But the protests have, at the very least, got the world to pay attention to Mauna Kea.

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Ige declares ‘timeout’ on construction of telescope
HONOLULU —Gov. David Ige announced Tuesday that construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope atop one of the most sacred sites for native Hawaiians would come to a halt, at least temporarily. Ige characterized the one-week pause in construction as a “timeout.”
Click here to watch Andrew Pereira’s report. 
“There will be no construction activities this week,” the governor told reporters. “This will give us some time to engage in further conversations with the various stakeholders that have an interest in Mauna Kea and its sacredness and its importance in scientific research and discovery going forward.”
Reaction from native Hawaiians to Ige’s announcement was unmistakingly skeptical. Kahookahi Kanuha of Kailua-Kona believes the pause in construction of the telescope is a delay tactic.
“They are looking for us to leave,” he said Tuesday in an interview with Oiwi TV. “The more down time they have, the more they think that we’ll have to go back to work and go back to our kuleana (responsibilities). And the truth of the matter is we do. However, many of us are willing to drop that kuleana because those are jobs and this is our responsibility.”

TMT project manager Gary Sanders issued a statement shortly after the governor’s announcement to clear up what he says are misconceptions about the project.
“The TMT site was selected with great care and respect,” Sanders wrote. “There are no archaeological shrines or burial sites within TMT’s project site. Comprehensive research by expert hydrologists confirm there is no threat to the aquifer. TMT agrees with Governor Ige’s request for a timeout this week and an ongoing dialogue on issues.”
A group calling itself the Sacred Mauna Kea Hui released a statement of its own, saying the governor’s timeout should be made permanent, and that Ige should use the pause in construction to examine possible breeches of public trust.
“Although the Sacred Mauna Kea Hui appreciates a welcome reprieve from the desecration of our sacred mountain summit and endangerment of our fresh water aquifer and endangered species environment, we know that these are still in danger unless a permanent moratorium is obtained,” the statement read. “This reprieve will also give the multi-billion dollar international TMT corporation, which has been allowed to circumvent the law, time to begin its process of identifying a new location outside of Hawaii for their TMT project.”
During the news conference the governor eluded to environmental laws and regulatory hurdles that TMT International Observatory has cleared over the past seven years, which includes meeting eight criteria for a conservation district use permit issued by the Board of Land and Natural Resources in 2011.
“There have been many decisions made previously on Mauna Kea and about Mauna Kea and I think that those decisions have to be honored,” said Ige.
DLNR granted TMT International Observatory a notice to proceed with construction on March 6, even though the project still faces a legal challenge in court.