Still an oil addict

Not to overgeneralize about oil dependence in this country, but this map breaks out consumption on a per capital basis. Red states are the heaviest users (no comment), green the lightest, and purple in the middle. California is purple, but only one step from the green zone (check out nifty chart at Infrastructurist.com)
An editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune sums things up:

Despite all the rhetoric about renewable energy, America is still frighteningly addicted to fossil fuels as far and away the world's leading consumer of energy, accounting for 21.1 percent of the world's primary energy consumption. Just 7 percent of U.S. energy comes from renewable energy sources. Petroleum, coal and natural gas still provide 84 percent of the energy powering the nation.

[CUT]

While many questions about the Gulf spill remain unanswered, it's clear that conservation should get top billing in the U.S. energy debate that lies ahead. The nation likely will need the oil in its coastal areas as it transitions to a future of renewable energy. (Last year the United States used 23 percent of the world's oil supply, but produced only 10 percent of it.) In the meantime, Americans can do their part by using far less oil and other types of energy. The devastation in the Gulf deserves nothing less than a serious national commitment to finally start doing so.