Energy use for transportation remained low across the country, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said, with only 12 states seeing an increase in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
EIA said that according to its State Energy Data System, the average U.S. transportation energy use decreased by 5 percent from 2019 to 2021. While transportation energy increased in every state when comparing 2021 to 2020, transportation in the majority of states remained below pre-pandemic levels in 2021.
Transportation energy increased the most in Alaska (15 percent), due mostly to increased jet fuel use for air travel the agency said.
“Alaska is a major fueling stop for military, cargo, and commercial flights between North America and Asia,” EIA said in its report. “In 2021, jet fuel use in Alaska increased by 36 percent compared with 2019, the largest state-level increase, as passenger and cargo traffic exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
Louisiana, with 13 percent, came in second based on its increased use of petroleum for large marine vessels, largely due to changes in shipping technology to meet international regulations, the agency said. Residual fuel oil use in Louisiana more than doubled in 2021 when compared to 2019. Across the country, residual fuel oil usage rose by 16 percent in 2021, because vessels added scrubber technology to reduce sulfur emissions and meet international standards.
Transportation energy use also increased in Alabama (11 percent), because of more gasoline being used for car travel the agency said. Gasoline for cars also increased in South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Maine, New Mexico, Indiana and Missouri.
Energy use for transportation dropped by 21 percent in the District of Columbia (DC) because of less petroleum used by vehicles and less electricity used by the subway system. DC saw a reduction in diesel used for trucks (down 35 percent), and gasoline for cars (14 percent). Electricity use in the city was also down (22 percent) due to a decreased (75 percent) in ridership on the Metrorail.
Hawaii also saw a decreased in transportation energy (18 percent) because less jet fuel was used for planes there.