State addresses gas-gouging/supply concerns
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State addresses gas-gouging/supply concerns
30 inspectors will investigate 2,000+ complaints. Many from SWVA.
Published: September 17, 2008
Updated: September 17, 2008
Virginia has sent state personnel and resources to Texas and Louisana to help with response and recovery from Ike.
The state is also taking action at home, where gas supplies and concerns of price gouging have surfaced since before Ike made landfall.
Governor Kaine has issued a waiver that will immediately allow for the distribution of gasoline blends that normally wouldn’t be allowed until October first. The move will provide access to available gas supplies.
The state has also issued waivers to make it easier for gasoline to be transported from suppliers to retailers, without interruption. The Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy is making sure adequate supplies are available.
Governor Kaine also announced Wednesday that the number of gas-gouging complaints has gone up since Monday. At the start of the week, there were 1,300 complaints to The Office of Consumer Affairs. That number has risen to more than 2,000.
The state had about a dozen inspectors out in the field statewide investigating those complaints on Monday. As of Wednesday, September 17th, the governor says there are now 30. If the complaints are credible, they’ll be handed over to the Attorney General’s office for prosecution. There’s no timetable for when the investigations will be wrapped up.
The penalty for violating the anti-price gouging act carries a fine of up to $2,500 per violation.
Governor Kaine says, “It is intolerable that anyone would take advantage of consumers in this situation, and we will aggressively pursue unscrupulous operators charging excessive prices.“
The governor asks Virginians to go about their normal routine for refueling their vehicles, and to conserve fuel whenever possible.
Reader Reactions
yes it was wrong 2 stores in narrows va 24124 jump two $5.00 a gallon for regular gas on 9/12/08 something needs to be done with this
First I want to say Thank You to Governor Kaine for stepping up. This is exactly the kind of leadership we hope to get when we cast our ballots.
Second, lets do some math. A $2500.00 fine is nothing. These station owners are selling up to 1800 gallons of gas per day if they have the supply. They’re making an extra $1 or more on each gallon. They’ve been at it for at least 5 days now. Would you pay the state a $2,500.00 fine to make $50k to $90k of windfall profit in a week? Even after paying the extra taxes they are still laughing all the way to the bank.
I’ve said it before, the best solution is for each of us consumers to remember who gouged us the most and take our business elsewhere over the long haul. That and that alone will shut down these greedy crooks.
The gouged us good this time! I hope and pray the fines are steep and put some of these operators out of business. They deserve to suffer for their ripping us off. Their greed is totally uncalled for in this day and age!
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