SACRAMENTO – A California senator is proposing the state
create an office for consumers to complain about possible price fixing at gas
stations, PolitiCal reports. State Sen. Mark Leno’s bill would establish an
Office of Fuel Price Investigation and Manipulation Prevention at the California
Energy Commission.
Leno envisions the new office as a place to handle public
inquiries into price manipulation or other complaints relating to gas prices.
His proposal would also task the office with coming up with anti-fuel price
manipulation standards, look into any allegations of price fixing and propose
ideas for lowering the swings in California gas prices.
“For too long, Golden State drivers have been at the mercy
of a few major oil companies that control the state’s transportation fuel
market,” said Leno. “We clearly need a process by which we can protect
consumers against fuel price volatility and investigate potential cases of
price manipulation.”
Groups supporting SB 448 include Consumer Action, Consumer
Federation, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Greenlining Institute. “If
the state is serious about addressing climate change and reducing dependence on
oil, it must make sure that companies can’t manipulate gas prices in order to
undermine the long-term viability of common sense approaches,’’ said Tim
O’Connor, director of the Environmental Defense Fund California Climate
Initiative.