In the above video, the portion of the state’s live feed of the governor’s news conference pertaining to the TMT is combined with video from the mountain gathered by Big Island video News.

HONOLULU – Last week, the Governor stated that “we are a patient people in Hawaii”, but today David Ige’s patience appeared to be wearing thin.

During a press conference to announce his intent to veto list, Governor Ige took some time at the end to answer questions from reporters about the Thirty Meter Telescope project, and how the state plans to help move the $1.4 billion project forward.

This time around, the governor did not mention being in support of the TMT opponents’ “right to peaceably assemble and to protest in an orderly and civil manner” as he has in the past. Instead, when asked about the protector’s encampment, the governor said that the state plans to enforce existing rules and laws pertaining to camping.

The governor said the use of the Hawaii National Guard is not an option being discussed at this point, but when pressed further about National Guard use in the future, Ige said they are going to be looking at the actions they need to take to assure the public and the workers can access the existing telescope facilities at the summit, including the TMT project.

Governor Ige reiterated the state’s commitment to providing safe access to Mauna Kea.