Hawaii’s Legislature dropped the ball by failing to move forward on one of Gov. Josh Green’s signature proposals: the “green fee.”
While Green initially advocated for a fee levied on every visitor from out of state, the concept morphed while under consideration at the Legislature into something more targeted — and optional. Senate Bill 304 labeled it a visitor impact fee, collected in return for a year-long license to visit state parks, forests, hiking trails and other natural areas and administered by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).
The bill was amended along the way to direct the DLNR to create a strategic plan and timetable for implementation, creating a special fund to support the advance legwork. OK: Getting to work on a detailed outline of objectives and benefits and timeline for rollout before launching a new, highly scrutinized program would count as progress.
But rather than take this half-step, lawmakers got bogged down at the finish line by last-minute changes in conference committee. While the bill had been modified to include funding for the plan and salaries for implementation, it proved too heavy a lift.
Sure, the visitor fee will certainly be revived next session. It has wide support — in fact, a January survey found that nearly two-thirds of Hawaii voters support a $50 visitor impact fee, creating a fund used to preserve and manage natural and cultural resources. And with tourist numbers approaching 10 million annually, a $50 green fee could raise tens of millions to support conservation work.
So, along with bill sponsor Sen. Lorraine Inouye, we find the bill’s squelching “a little upsetting.”
Visitor fees are already in place at Diamond Head State Monument, Haena State Park, Waianapanapa State Park and ‘Iao Valley State Monument, and help support maintenance and conservation at the sites where they are collected. Individual fees at these irreplaceable sites should continue, while the visitor fee can be allocated to broader concerns, with a statewide focus.
The Legislature next year should remember Inouye’s comments, including her suggestion to increase the fee. “If they stick to $50 as recommended by the governor to address sea level rise, global warming, carbon infiltration, as well as addressing the parks, that’s not going to be enough,” she said.
For his part, the governor admitted disappointment, but in a statement pledged to use this as “an opportunity to have a broader conversation about tourism destination management, and work on a detailed bill for next session.”
Real progress needs to happen then, if state policymakers are serious about protecting Hawaii’s well-used natural resources.
