Hawaii’s foreign crude oil imports rose 20 percent during the first five months of the year from the same period in 2008, according to data released today by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Imports of foreign ethanol fell 8.9 percent during the same time frame, DBEDT reported.
Gasoline consumption from January through May, based on tax data, fell 2.3 percent from the same period last year, according to the report. Year-to-date demand for gasoline in the counties of Oahu and Kauai fell of 5.3 percent and 0.7 percent respectively. Demand in Maui and Hawaii counties rose by 2.5 percent and 5.5 percent respectively.
The report also showed that as of July 2009 there were 925,802 registered gasoline-powered passenger vehicles in the state, down 2.7 percent from the same period last year.