U.S. Gasoline Consumption Jumps Three Percent in First Six Months of 2016

"It is the highest amount on record and the sixth consecutive increase in national gasoline consumption for the first six months of any year on record.," reports Doug Hecox, spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration, on Oct. 28.

Credit: Federal Highway Administration

As the above map shows, the area with the greatest increase, at 4.1 percent, was the South Gulf. The states with the largest increases were the most populous states, respectively:

• California at 7.65 billion gallons
• Texas at 7.1 billion gallons
• Florida at 4.57 billion gallons.

Oklahoma led the nation with the greatest percentage increase of 8.2 percent, followed closely by "Delaware and Utah with 7.9 percent and 7.2 percent increases, respectively," notes Hecox.

North Dakota’s fuel consumption decreased by 5.9 percent, the largest decrease among the states in that period.

The primary purpose of keeping track of fuel consumption doesn't relate to President Obama's Climate Action Plan but providing revenue to the Highway Trust Fund.

The data is also indicative of the level of resource consumption and pollution emissions by the transportation sector which, in recent reviews, has been the leading source of greenhouse gasses among all sectors in the United States.

The consumption increase correlates with increase in vehicle miles traveled and confirms earlier reports that the 2016 is on track to break the 2007 record of gasoline consumption.

For precise data, see FHWA's Motor Fuel & Highway Trust Fund.

Related: 

• Wall Street Journal, Americans Drive to a New Record in Gasoline Consumption, Sep 7, 2016 
• NPR: U.S. Gasoline Use Hits A Record, But That May Not Last, September 2, 2016

Also in Planetizen:

• Americans Continue to Drive More, Reports Federal Highway Administration, August 24, 2016
• Transportation Catching Industry as the Leading Cause of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, July 22, 2016
• A New Era in the U.S.: More Carbon Emissions from Transportation Than Utilities, June 14, 2016

Hat tip to AASHTO Daily Transportation Update