DLNR ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF HEARINGS OFFICER FOR MAUNA KEA CONTESTED CASE HEARING

News Release from DLNR, April 1, 2016

HONOLULU – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announced today that retired Hawaii island circuit court judge Riki May Amano (Ret.) has been selected as the hearings officer to conduct the Mauna Kea contested case hearing relating to the application for the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. DLNR Chairperson Suzanne Case issued a minute order to the contested case parties today announcing Judge Amano’s selection.

Judge Amano was selected pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes section 103D-304. HRS 103D-304 requires DLNR to assemble and vet a list of applicants. The list is reviewed by a selection committee, which ranks at least three candidates. The DLNR Chairperson then negotiates a contract with the first ranked person. If the DLNR Chairperson is unable to successfully negotiate a contract with the first ranked person, then he or she attempts to negotiate a contract with the next ranked person. In this case, Chairperson Case was able to successfully negotiate a contract with Judge Amano as the first ranked applicant of the selection committee.

The selection committee consisted of:

• James Duffy, Associate Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court (Ret.);
• Stella Kam, Deputy Attorney General;
• Christopher Yuen, Member of the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR).

Any comments on and objections to this appointment shall be filed no later than April 15, 2016, 4:30 p.m. at DLNR Administrative Proceedings Office, 1151 Punchbowl St., Rm. 130, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. 

Judge Amano will determine the schedule for the contested case hearing.

Judge Amano served as a judge in the district and circuit courts of the Third Judicial Circuit, State of Hawaii from February 1992 until her retirement in April 2003. Judge Amano has been recognized annually as a Best Lawyer in America/Hawaii from 2007 to the present. Judge Amano was born and raised in Hilo; she currently resides in Honolulu. She completed her undergraduate education in 1976 with a BA degree in Political Science and obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii in 1979. Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Amano was a deputy attorney general assigned to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Transportation and Labor and Industrial Relations; and in private practice from 1981 until 1991.

# # #