Search Federal and State Laws and Incentives

A distributor of any alternative fuel used to operate an internal combustion engine must pay a license tax of $0.0025 for each gallon of alternative fuel the distributor sells or uses. In addition, a distributor must pay a license tax for each gallon of fuel sold or used by the distributor for operating a motor vehicle on state public highways according to the following rates:

For other alternative fuels, the rate is based on the energy content of the fuels as compared to diesel fuel, using a lower heating value of 130,000 British thermal units per gallon as a standard for diesel, so that the tax rate, on an energy content basis, is equal to one-quarter the rate for diesel fuel. Counties may impose additional taxes. (Reference Hawaii Revised Statutes 243-4 and 243-5)

State and county agency contracts awarded for the purchase of diesel fuel must give preference to bids for biofuels or blends of biofuel and petroleum fuel. When purchasing fuel for use in diesel engines, the price preference is $0.05 per gallon of B100. For blends containing both biodiesel and petroleum-based diesel, the preference is applied only to the biodiesel portion of the blend. For the purpose of this requirement, biodiesel is a vegetable oil-based fuel that meets ASTM specification D6751 and biofuel is a fuel from non-petroleum plant- or animal-based sources that can be used for the generation of heat or power. (Reference Hawaii Revised Statutes 103D-1012)

State and county agencies must purchase light-duty vehicles that reduce petroleum consumption and meet the needs of the agency. The priority to be used for purchasing such vehicles is as follows:

1. Plug-in electric vehicles;
2. Hydrogen or fuel cell vehicles;
3. Other alternative fuel vehicles;
4. Hybrid electric vehicles; and
5. Vehicles identified as top performers for fuel economy in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's annual "Fuel Economy Leaders" report.

Exemptions may apply. State agencies must purchase alternative fuels and ethanol blended gasoline when available, evaluate a purchase preference for biodiesel blends, and promote the efficient operation of vehicles. For the purpose of this requirement, an alternative fuel is defined as an alcohol fuel, an alcohol fuel blend containing at least 85% alcohol, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (propane), hydrogen, biodiesel, a biodiesel blend containing at least 20% biodiesel, a fuel derived from biological materials, or electricity generated from off-board energy sources. For more information, see the Hawaii State Energy Office's Vehicle Purchasing Guidelines website. (Reference Hawaii Revised Statutes 103D-412 and 196-9)

Renewable fuels produced from renewable feedstocks, such as ethanol, hydrogen, biodiesel, and biofuel, may qualify for an income tax credit equal to $0.20 per 76,000 British thermal units (BTUs) of renewable fuels sold for distribution in Hawaii. The facility must produce at least 15 billion BTUs of its nameplate capacity annually to receive the tax credit and may claim the tax credit for up to five years, not to exceed $3,000,000 annually. Qualifying renewable fuel production facilities (Producers) must provide written notification of their intent to produce renewable fuels before becoming eligible for the tax credit. Producers must provide a written update within thirty days from the start of production, providing a forecast of anticipated production for one year. The tax credits are available from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2021. Additional restrictions apply. (Reference Senate Bill 2652, 2016)

The state of Hawaii is responsible for facilitating the development of alternative fuels and supporting the attainment of a statewide alternative fuels standard. According to this standard, alternative fuels will provide 20% of highway fuel demand by 2020 and 30% by 2030. For the purposes of the alternative fuels standard, cellulosic ethanol is equivalent to 2.5 gallons of non-cellulosic ethanol. (Reference Hawaii Revised Statutes 196-42)

The state of Hawaii has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Energy to collaborate to produce 70% of the state's energy needs from energy-efficient and renewable sources by 2030 and 100% of the state's energy needs from energy-efficient and renewable sources by 2045. This effort is part of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. The goals of the partnership include defining the structural transformation required to transition the state to a clean energy-dominated economy; demonstrating and fostering innovation in the use of clean energy, including alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies; creating opportunities for the widespread distribution of clean energy benefits; establishing an open learning model for other states and entities to adopt; and building a workforce with cross-cutting skills to support a clean energy economy in the state. For more information, see the MOU and Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative website.

Lands originally zoned as agricultural land use districts may be used for renewable energy production, storage, and distribution, including the production of biofuels. Biofuels production facilities must be integrated with an agricultural activity and may not adversely impact agricultural land and other agricultural uses in the vicinity. Biofuels production facilities include those that produce liquid or gaseous fuels from organic sources such as biomass crops, agricultural residues, food wastes, animal residues and wastes, and oil crops including palm, canola, soybean, and waste cooking oils. Additionally, biofuels production facilities are exempt from subdivision requirements for leases and easements within agricultural land use districts. The exemption from subdivision requirements is effective through July 1, 2020. (Reference Hawaii Revised Statutes 201N-14, 205-2, and 205-4.5)

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture established the Energy Feedstock Program to promote and support the production of energy feedstock development in Hawaii and to establish milestones and objectives for production of energy feedstock in the state to meet its energy requirements. Energy feedstock includes feedstock used to produce biofuels. (Reference Hawaii Revised Statutes 141-9)