Legislators negotiate Green Fee projects, immigration as key deadline approaches

By Ashley Mizuo for Hawai‘i Public Radio

Tori DeJournett / HPR

One of the key questions this legislative session has been on how the Green Fee, the new increased tax on hotels and cruise ships, would be spent.

The law passed last year requires that a total of about $100 million in revenue be spent on three categories: protecting natural resources, increasing climate resiliency and sustainable tourism.

The list differs significantly from what Gov. Josh Green initially proposed. That was largely decided by his Green Fee Advisory Council, which evaluated projects submitted before the legislative session.

Some additions included $3.7 million for a biosecurity facility at the University of Hawaiʻi, $900,000 for a green energy study and $7 million for a food and product innovation network.

What’s been cut? $5 million for community groups working to stop the spread of invasive species, $1.6 million to protect native birds from diseases like malaria and $7 million for a visitor program where tourists could work with community groups on conservation efforts run by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

“What we've seen in this near final list of Green Fee projects that the legislature is advancing, is a healthy mix that includes a lot of the recommendations from the Green Fee Advisory Council,” said Green Fee Advisory Council Chair Jeff Mikulina. “ In large measure it does accomplish those original goals. Of course it doesn't have everything the council was asking for. There's some other projects in there, some interesting things that I think we believe are aligned with that original intent and then some other projects that you could have some healthy debate about whether or not that fits, but by-and-large, it is in line with what I think folks were expecting these dollars to go toward.”

Click here to read the full article published by Hawai‘i Public Radio on Apr. 30.