Advocates Say It’s No Longer Whether Hawaii Should Charge A Green Fee, But How 0 Hawaii’s new governor supports a visitor-impact fee, and supporters say they’re more organized than ever. But it will be up to state legislators to decide.
In 2022, state leaders nearly passed a law to better safeguard Hawaii’s imperiled natural resources by raising revenues through a $40 or $50 “green fee” charged to tourists. Proponents hope to build on that momentum this year and push a visitor-impact fee through the House and Senate and onto Gov. Josh Green’s desk.
Exactly how such a fee would work – and how it might address Hawaii’s growing conservation needs as more tourists flock to an island chain that’s often dubbed the “endangered species capital of the world” – has been hotly debated for the past half-decade or so.
It’s poised to be among the top environmental proposals heading into the new legislative session, which opened Wednesday.
Advocates Say It’s No Longer Whether Hawaii Should Charge A Green Fee, But How
