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'Gas Gouging' in Some States; Prices Stable on LI

By James Bernstein | Staff Writer

September 12, 2001

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Wall Street and Washington, authorities in several states were investigating reports of price gouging at the gas pumps. But on Long Island, prices appeared stable Wednesday morning.

Officials in Oklahoma and Mississippi were looking into price-guaging, while a spokesman for AAA in Indiana said his office has received reports of pricing rising to $3 or $4 a gallon.

On Long Island, Kathy Pollane, executive director of the Long Island Gasoline Retailers Association, said gas prices appear to be stable Wedneday morning.

"I haven't seen anything like that (price-gouging) and I hope it will stay that way, Pollane said. "That's just people taking advantage of what happened at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Pollane said prices for regular gas were $1.559 in Nassau and Suffolk, up about 3 cents from last week. Prices in Queens last week were $1.639

She said it was difficult to say whether gas prices would remain stable. If they do rise, she said, it should not happen soon because of the large supply of oiln currently available in the U.S.

"If you see a couple of stations in the area who suddenly raise their prices 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, they're taking advantage.

The average price of gas late last week, inclujding all grades, was $1.56 nationwide, according to the Lundberg Survey of 8,000 stations.