Governor: I’ll Be ‘Agnostic’ On How Hawaiʻi Spends Its New Green Fee

Gov. Josh Green spoke at the latest Civil Cafe, held at Civil Beat’s Kaimukī offices, to discuss Hawaiʻi’s new green fee set to begin raising funds for climate- and environment-related efforts next year. (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2025)

By Marcel Honoré for Honolulu Civil Beat

Climate experts and proponents of Hawaiʻi’s new green fee will kick off next month what Gov. Josh Green has dubbed the “green fee initiative” — a process to decide how hundreds of millions of dollars for climate- and conservation-related projects will be spent.

Heading into the fall, that initiative will include community input and public meetings, Green said during the latest “Civil Cafe” event, which explored Hawaiʻi’s green fee, the first of its kind in the country, and how it might work.

Green pledged that when collections start next year state officials will provide monthly online accounting so the public can see how the money is being spent. Those state officials expect the fee to raise some $100 million annually from an additional 0.75% tax on local hotel stays and short-term stays, which will flow into the state’s general fund.

Click here to read the full story in the July 1 Honolulu Civil Beat.