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Posted: Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 6:31 AM HST

Mauna Kea environmental study favors telescope

By Associated Press

HILO, Hawaii (AP) — An environmental study says the public benefit would outweigh the drawbacks if the world's largest telescope were built atop Mauna Kea. A consortium including the California Institute of Technology has proposed building what it calls a Thirty Meter Telescope on the Big Island mountain. Another possible site is in Chile. Some Native Hawaiian groups believe Mauna Kea is sacred, and argue the telescope would defile the extinct Big Island volcano. The environmental impact statement says the telescope project would displace a shrine built on Mauna Kea within the last 10 years. It also would lead to more traffic, wastewater, dust and noise on the mountain. But the study says these effects can be minimized. (Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved)