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What determines the price of gas?
Gasoline prices are determined by supply and demand. The more gas we use typically translates into a somewhat lower supply and subsequent higher price. This is especially true during the summer months when more people are traveling.
Gas prices vary across cities and states. A number of factors contribute to the retail price of gasoline including transportation costs, location (urban, rural), average volume pumped, and competitive mix (the concentration of major oil companies and the presence of independent marketers). The maintenance and closure of fuel-producing refineries can also increase gas prices.
What is price gouging?
Price gouging is generally defined as a dramatic increase in prices for goods or services in short supply following an emergency situation or disaster.
K.S.A. 50-6,106 specifically prohibits “unjustifiably increasing during a time of disaster the price at which any necessary property or service is offered for sale to consumers.” However, regular increases in the price of gas that are similar to other stations in the area do not qualify as price gouging.
What can the Attorney General do about rising gas prices?
The Attorney General’s Office will investigate any instance of price gouging reported by Kansas consumers and prosecute those businesses found to be in violation of the law. Unfortunately, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office has no regulatory authority over the gas and oil companies that establish the price of gasoline.
What can I do about rising gas prices?
If you believe you have witnessed price gouging in Kansas, please contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 785-296-3751 or 1-800-432-2310 or fill out a consumer complaint online at www.ksag.org.
The fuel industry is regulated at the federal level. We encourage all consumers to contact their U.S. Representative and Senators to express their concerns and opinions about rising gas prices.
Kansas consumers can also greatly reduce the financial burden of increasing gas prices by limiting their fuel use during periods of high demand.
Tips for increasing fuel economy:
- Plan your day to combine trips and eliminate unnecessary driving
- Drive cars with higher fuel efficiency (miles per gallon) whenever possible
- Carpool and share rides with family, friends and coworkers
- Use public transportation
- Walk or bike instead of driving whenever possible
- Check and replace your car air filter regularly
- Keep your tires properly inflated
- Use the recommended grade of gasoline and motor oil
- Observe the speed limit
- Avoid excessive acceleration or idling
- Use cruise control or overdrive gear
- Don’t “top off” when re-fueling
Helpful links:
Kansas Gas Prices
http://www.kansasgasprices.com/
Current Gas Prices in the United States:
http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/sbsavg.asp
Kansas Corporation Commission, oil and gas rules, regulations, and downloadable forms:
http://www.kcc.state.ks.us/index.htm
Gas price information from the U.S. Department of Energy
http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/gasolinepricesprimer/eia1_2005primerM.html
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip.asp
Federal Trade Commission