HILO, Hawaii – Three motions filed by Harry Fergerstrom prior to the TMT contested case hearing, one of which sought to make the entire hearing moot, were not granted by retired judge Riki May Amano.

After an explanation from Fergerstrom during Friday’s pre-hearing conference in Hilo, Amano denied all three motions in short order, one after another: a motion to “reconsider all motions, application, and / or request for admission or intervention as a party or other parties in this matter”; a motion to “strike all motions, applications, decisions, etc.: essentially making moot the entire hearing”; and a motion to “remove Hearing Office Riki May Amano, Attorney General Julie China, and Director of Coastal and Conservation Lands Michael Cain”.

Fergerstrom takes issue with the legality of the proceeding, and he says he has been trying to voice his concerns since the last hearing in June.

“This process being utilizied was flawed as there is no point under title 13 chapter 5, where 4 years after the initial hearing (2011) intervention into a contested case is allowed,” Fergerstrom stated in his motion to reconsider the list of names accepted as parties to the contested case hearing.

NOTE: This is one part of a multi-part video series documenting the numerous motions ruled on by Judge Amano during the August 5, 2016 pre-hearing conference. The full video collection is here.