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Gas Price-Gouging Probed

Sept. 14, 2001

Several state attorneys general say they're investigating reports of price-gouging by gas stations following the East Coast terrorist attack. In Mississippi, Atty. Gen. Mike Moore said he expects to "make some arrests."

Wholesale gas prices jumped 5 to 15 cents a gallon Tuesday afternoon in the hours following the attacks as refineries, distribution terminals and ports closed for security reasons. But wholesale prices dropped again Wednesday as the facilities reopened.

Spokesmen for the petroleum industry and various trade groups said there was no reason for a spike in retail prices and denounced the increases as unjustified.

Perhaps so, but for at least a few hours prices in many areas skyrocketed.

Moore's office reported receiving more than 2,000 complaints of prices as high as $5 per gallon Tuesday and Wednesday. In Ohio, there were reports of $6 per gallon prices.

The national average gas price was $1.54 before the attack on Monday.

Any prosecutions by the attorneys general would be under statutes or executive directives that ban profiteering and "unconscionable" price increases during times of emergency.

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