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Supervisor Gary Skinner wants answers on why local gas prices rose so quickly Date published: 9/30/2008
By DAN TELVOCK Supervisor Gary Skinner asked county administrators last week to investigate possible gas price gouging in Spotsylvania County. Skinner said that when Hurricane Ike hit the coast of Texas, gas prices in Spotsylvania jumped by almost 40 cents in one day at some gas stations. "This was speculation," Skinner said. "If a hurricane comes through, there will be an impact [on gas prices], but that shouldn't be seen the day of the hurricane. I just don't want to see the citizens being taken advantage of." Complaints about alleged gas price gouging can be made to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Consumer Affairs. The Virginia Anti-Price Gouging Act prohibits a supplier from charging unconscionable prices for necessary goods and services within the affected area during a 30-day period following a declared state of emergency. The test for price gouging is whether the post-disaster price charged by a supplier grossly exceeds the price charged for the same or similar goods or services either by the same supplier, or within the same trade area, during the 10 days immediately prior to the disaster. Gov. Timothy Kaine announced two weeks ago that state inspectors are looking into more than 2,000 reports of possible gas price gouging throughout Virginia in the aftermath of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 9/30/2008
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