Hawaii Seeks Public Ideas for Spending 'Green Fee' Revenue: Submissions Due November 1 Will Inform 2027 Recommendations
Hawaii's Green Fee Advisory Council has opened an online ideas portal inviting the public to propose projects for spending the state's green fee revenue. Submissions are due by November 1; ideas received on time will be incorporated into the council's 2027 funding recommendations to the state legislature, while late submissions may be held for the next funding cycle.
The green fee, signed into law by Governor Josh Green in 2025 and in effect since January 1 this year, raised the state's transient accommodations tax rate, with the additional revenue dedicated to three categories of projects: environmental protection, climate resilience and sustainable tourism. Council chair Jeff Mikulina said submitting an idea does not guarantee funding: last year the council received hundreds of proposals from the public and state agencies with combined budgets exceeding $2 billion, while the green fee's actual annual revenue is expected to be only about $100 million, so only the best can be chosen, and 'shovel-ready' projects that can move quickly once the legislature appropriates funds are more likely to be recommended. As of Wednesday, the council had approved about 62 projects and will continue collecting public suggestions over the coming week. Ideas may be detailed or brief, and the portal also lets the public vote on others' ideas. After November 1 the council will evaluate all submissions, form a priority list for the governor, and the governor will forward it to the legislature for final appropriation decisions.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 威基基海滩 / Waikiki Beach, Honolulu — Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
