Assemblyman Brindisi asks state attorney general to look into gas-price gouging

February 15, 2013

Assemblyman Anthony J. Brindisi (D-Utica) has contacted New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and requested that his office look into potential price gouging by area retailers. A recent report by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) detailing weekly average gasoline prices listed the Utica-Rome metro area as the third-highest region in the state, behind only Nassau-Suffolk on Long Island and the New York City metro area. Other upstate locations listed significantly lower price levels.

“It makes no sense for the Utica-Rome area to have higher gas prices than our surrounding regions, let alone the third highest prices in New York State,” Assemblyman Brindisi said. “Our hardworking families deserve to know if they are being price gouged.”

The average American household spends approximately 4 percent of its annual income on gasoline, according to United States Energy Information Administration. With the exception of 2008, the percentage is the highest in three decades.

As prices increase, consumers are required to spend more of their disposable income on gas. Businesses suffer as less money is available for the goods and services they provide, and the overall economy slows as less money is invested in production, new equipment or new employees, Assemblyman Brindisi noted.

In his letter to Attorney General Schneiderman, Assemblyman Brindisi shared gasoline-price statistics from the Utica-Rome area in comparison to the rest of the state. He requested the office determine if there is price-gouging in the Mohawk Valley and address the issue accordingly.

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