It could be months before the state's new oil industry "transparency" program provides the public a window into gasoline pricing practices.

Legislators adopted a law in May requiring Hawai'i's oil industry to reveal crude-oil and gasoline costs and sources, refinery operating expenses, marketing and distribution expenses and corporate overhead expenses.

But the Public Utilities Commission, the agency charged with collecting data from oil companies, hasn't gotten the program started yet. On Friday, the PUC said it is seeking added authority along with $1.2 million from the Legislature to help launch the new Petroleum Industry Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Program.

At the Capitol Friday, PUC Chairman Carlito Caliboso said, "It's hard to say (when the program will start). It will probably be in the next few months or after the (Legislative) session" ends in May.

"We want to do it right," Caliboso said. "We don't want to just collect barebones information and throw things out there without doing it right. It will take a little more time."

Lawmakers hoped the increased transparency would discourage unfair pricing after the suspension of Hawai'i's controversial gasoline price caps, which regulated wholesale prices from September 2005 to May.

Local oil industry officials have said they are willing to cooperate with the new law but are concerned about keeping their information confidential. Hawai'i's two oil refineries are Chevron Corp. and Tesoro Corp.

Implementation of the program has been delayed by a lack of expertise and money. Lawmakers appropriated only $1 for the program, and $700,000 was transferred from a previous monitoring program.

The additional $1.2 million being sought by the PUC could be used to hire an oil industry consultant and possibly a software vendor. In addition, the PUC is requesting a budget increase of nearly $214,000 a year to pay for three employees to run the program.

Two key lawmakers — Sen. Ron Menor, D-17th (Mililani, Waipi'o) and Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa) — said Friday they support appropriating the PUC more money. More debate will determine just how much money the PUC needs, said Menor, chairman of the Energy and Environment Committee.

Menor and Caldwell, who is House majority leader, criticized the agency for not launching the oil industry monitoring program sooner.

"They could have written forms and begun collecting information and inputting it into a database," Menor said. "A lot of that stuff could have been done already."

Without oil industry profit figures, it will be difficult to take meaningful steps to address the issue of high gasoline prices, said Caldwell.

"The unfortunate thing is the opportunity we lost between last session and now," he said.

Both Menor and Caldwell said they would consider fast-tracking the PUC's funding request if it will help get the oil industry monitoring program started sooner.

Under the new law, the state is supposed to collect and publish every six months oil company crude oil costs and sources, refinery operating expenses, marketing and distribution expenses and corporate overhead expenses. The law also requires oil companies to report weekly gasoline transaction data, which would be available to the public.

Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com.