LIHU‘E — The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources is hosting a series of hearings to gather public input on a user fee that commercial vessel operators will have to collect from each passenger carried or customer served next year.
The idea behind the $1 fee is that the money generated from the charge will help pay for the conservation, protections, restoration and management of marine resources in the state of Hawai‘i.
The fee, which kicks in on Jan. 1, 2024, stems from the passage of House Bill 1019 in 2021. The bill established the Ocean Stewardship Special Fund, in which the revenue collected from the fee will be deposited.
At the time the bill was signed into law by then-Gov. David Ige, it was estimated the “user fee could generate anywhere from $14 million to more than $30 million over 15 years,” according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Individuals interested in weighing in on the fee can do so via online testimony, in-person testimony or written testimony. Individuals can also participate via telephone.
The first hearing will be held online via Zoom on Tuesday, July 25, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Maui. The second hearing will be held online via Zoom on Wednesday, July 26, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Hawai‘i Island.
The third hearing will be held online via Zoom on Thursday, July 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Oahu and Kaua‘i.
For people unable to access the Zoom hearings, they can still provide oral or written testimony at one of several in-person host sites set up for participants.
The site for Kaua‘i is the Lihu‘e Neighborhood Center, 3353 Eono St., Lihu‘e. Registration for the Zoom hearing for Kaua‘i can be achieved at https://bit.ly/OSUFPH07-27.
For more information, visit https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/ and view under “announcements.”
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Wyatt Haupt Jr., editor, can be reached at 808-245-0457 or whaupt@thegardenisland.com.
