As mentioned in past issues of HHHI, the Green Fee passed earlier this year, adding a 0.75% hike to the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) starting January 1st, 2026. Now, Governor Green has named a 10-member Green Fee Advisory Council to help decide how the projected $100 million per year will be spent. It’s classic government: create a massive fund to solve a problem, then forget to define the actual solution. What could go wrong?
Chaired by Climate Hawaiʻi’s Jeff Mikulina, the council includes voices from policy, science, community, and tourism. Since hotel guests will be footing most of the bill, it’s good to see at least one hotelier on the council: Outrigger CEO Jeff Wagoner, a seasoned hotel executive with a strong community lens.
It’ll be interesting to see how the money actually gets allocated. Hard not to be reminded that the TAT was originally earmarked specifically for tourism-related efforts… until it got sucked into the general fund. Will the Green Fee follow the same path?
