If all required permits and reports are secured on schedule, construction may begin on the Thirty Meter Telescope to be built on Mauna Kea as early as 2011, with completion expected in 2018. The project is estimated to cost $1 billion. The observatory is expected to employ 140 workers, with headquarters in Hilo and a satellite office in Waimea. A site in Chile was being considered as well, but Mauna Kea came out on top in desirability due to its atmospheric stability, wind patterns, minimal temperature variation, relatively low humidity, and other meteorological characteristics that affect telescope performance. The decision has raised opposition from some environmental and Native Hawaiian groups. Environmentalists are concerned about the endangerment of some threatened species, and some Native Hawaiians are concerned about what they consider to be sacriligious treatment of a place considered sacred in their culture.