Reporting Gas Price Gouging

On Friday morning September 12th as Hurricane Ike approached Texas and the heart of our countries oil refinery infrastructure, gas stations began increasing gas prices in apprehension of perceived loss of production and reduced availability in the days ahead. Even as North Carolina (My Home State) Governor Easley told the media that the wholesale price of gas had only increased 20 cents some local gas stations had increased their prices by 40 to 50 cents and more. The gasoline industry is highly regulated and any form of price gouging is not to be tolerated. Governor Easley declared a state of “abnormal market disruption” — a designation that gives the N.C. attorney general’s office authority to enforce a law that prohibits unreasonably high prices. While this is a great move it still requires that those companies choosing to set prices at exorbitantly high levels be reported so that inquests may be made. A great way to report said companies is via the Department of Energy's Gas Price Watch Reporting Form available on the internet at http://gaswatch.energy.gov/. 

As an extra measure, if you witness gas gouging by these companies and have a digital camera or cell phone with a digital camera, take a picture of the gas stations marquee showing the prices being charged. While the gas station companies employees or management may deny price gouging when presented with a filled out complaint, an actual photo of the prices in question is impossible to deny.