LEGISLATOR SAYS THERE'S GASOLINE PRICE GOUGING IN WV

(02/16/2009)

Crude oil is falling but prices at the gas pumps are rising, says Senate Majority Leader Truman Chafin. He would like to have an explanation. "Price gouging has been going on for a long time," Chafin, D-Mingo, told his colleagues in a floor speech. "We need to study how the wholesale people are doing this," he said. Chafin is sponsoring what would give the attorney general's office more authority to look into possible gasoline price gouging. As the price of crude on international markets began to slide, the price of gas shot up from $1.99 a gallon in Charleston to $2.06. In Tennessee, where Chafin owns a lake house, gas retails for 30 cents cheaper once he leaves Virginia. "Our people are being taken advantage of," he complained. He continued to suggest the wholesalers are responsible for the disparity in prices. "It just defies logic when you're in Beckley, it's sometimes 20 cents cheaper than in Charleston," he said.

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