On the West Coast, jet fuel consumption has outpaced production, causing jet fuel imports to increase since 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The West Coast includes Alaska, Hawaii, California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada. The region accounts for approximately 20 percent of the American population but nearly a third of U.S. jet fuel consumption.
Consumption grew 6 percent in 2016 and 5 percent last year.
Because of their remote location, Alaska and Hawaii have a higher per capita jet fuel use than other states. Alaska’s is 13 times higher than the national average and Hawaii’s is five times higher.
All but 2 percent of the region’s jet-fuel demand was met by production within West Coast states prior to 2015. Today, only 87 percent of demand is met.
Most of the fuel imports have been from refineries in China, Japan, and South Korea.
Jet fuel imports from these three countries in 2016 totaled 87,000 barrels per day and were 96 percent of jet fuel imports.
Last year, that reached 93,000 barrels per day and was 99 percent of imports.
The West Coast also has the nation’s highest import rate for Brazilian sugarcane-based ethanol, increasing by 114,000 barrels per day since February 2017.