The Page One Advertiser article on Aug. 28 declared that "with oil topping $70 a barrel and fuel costs soaring" interest in ocean energy is surging nationwide.

But, Hawai'i remains addicted to oil.

Our Islands are blessed with the most abundant ocean energy sources in the United States. Yet other than a single buoy pilot project on the Windward side, we simply haven't caught those waves.

Are we being left in the backwash? The Advertiser article mentions Oregon, where Ocean Power Technology plans to build a 50-megawatt wave park. This is enough to power well over 30,000 households. But Oregonians pay only 7 to 8 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity (most of which they receive from federal dams), while residents of O'ahu pay 19 cents, and Neighbor Island residents pay as much as 33 cents. Once wave energy technology is established in Hawaiian waters, the price per kilowatt hour for this renewable energy will be lower than Hawaiian Electric Co.'s oil-dependent current rate.

The volatility of the global oil market and HECO's delay in tapping renewable energy sources are the key factors in our skyrocketing energy costs. In late 2003, the price of crude oil hovered around $29 a barrel. The cost is now more than $70 a barrel. In other words, the price of oil has more than doubled over the past three years. As authorized by the Energy Cost Adjustment Clause, the utilities pass on 100 percent of these costs to the consumers. On O'ahu, this means 33 percent of your electric bill is due to the increased cost of oil.

We are spending increasingly more on an unsustainable, non-renewable energy resource that has been proven to be highly detrimental to both the local and global environment. Economically and environmentally speaking, it is irresponsible that we, as a state with a vast abundance of ocean power, continue to rely upon costly oil to meet virtually all of our energy needs. Furthermore, it is unacceptable that a publicly traded company such as HECO should require its consumers to assume 100 percent of the risks and costs due to escalating oil prices.

Hawai'i is designated as one of the top two sites in the world for ocean energy. Hawai'i's consistent tradewinds and its powerful winter swells provide plenty of power for wave energy converters to harness. Since our islands are basically seamounts, we lack a continental shelf, which means that our nearshore depths are much greater than continental sites and allow for siting only a few miles offshore. In turn, this means lower installation costs and easier maintenance.

Costly undersea transmission wires don't need to run long distances, and our major ports provide the infrastructure needed for fabrication facilities as well as tending vessels. Our established power grid makes for easy connection and transmission from point A to point B. In short, Hawai'i's climate, its underwater topography and its well-developed infrastructure make for unrivaled convenience in building and maintaining wave energy systems at minimal cost.

At least four wave energy companies have shown an interest in Hawai'i. But Hawaiian Electric Co. and its subsidiaries have chosen a "wait and see" attitude. The editors of the Advertiser called for HECO to use a "less passive approach" nearly a year ago. In the meantime, states such as Oregon are actively pursuing wave energy technology, even though their low energy rates don't necessitate such an act. Oregon's government — and equally important — Oregon's utilities have recognized the value of wave energy as a field of economic growth and environmental leadership. If Hawai'i does not act soon, we may lose the opportunity to be the national leader in the field of wave energy.

We are in a position to become the industry hub for wave energy technologies. This creates well-paying technical jobs, a new economic sector and enables us to export our technical knowledge throughout the Pacific basin. Quite simply, we can't afford to miss this wave!

Rep. Cynthia Thielen is assistant minority floor leader in the state House of Representatives. She wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.