Fast Fact: Crude Numbers
Last year, the state took a step closer to becoming energy efficient. The Legislature approved several bills introduced by Gov. Linda Lingle, including measures to increase tax credits for solar and wind-power installations and funding various alternative-energy projects.
But Hawai‘i has a long way to go—we’re still the most oil-dependent state in the country, deriving about 90 percent of our energy from imported petroleum, according to the 2006 annual report released by the state’s energy resources coordinator.
The study also found:
• In 2005, local residents spent more than $4 billion for energy, about 8 percent of the state’s gross domestic product. That amount was 33 percent higher than in 2004, primarily because of higher oil prices.
• In 2005, electricity expenses per person were 161 percent more per person than they were 1970.
• The Middle East has become a major source of petroleum for the Islands. Between 1992 and 2004, crude-oil imports from the area averaged less than 1 percent annually. In 2005, the Middle East provided more than 25 percent of Hawai‘i’s crude oil, which is partly attributed to the decline in imports from Alaska.